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On April 21, 2017 I gave a talk at WYND Co-working space in Lan Kwai Fong entitled 10 Steps to a Successful Hong Kong Entrepreneur Visa Application.

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy:

Historically, Step 5 of the 10-step series synthesized the core approvability test into the “three crucial elements for approval”—the classic three legs of the entrepreneur visa stool: commercial viability, financial resources, and local employment creation. The Geeza explained that ImmD evaluated these pillars holistically rather than mechanically, allowing strength in one area to compensate for modesty in another. A foreign founder did not need an enormous capital war chest or immediate enterprise scale; so long as the applicant committed a few hundred thousand dollars in seed capital, established a presence via a flexible serviced office desk, and articulated a credible narrative showing how the business model would achieve sustainability and phase in local hires over two to three years, case officers routinely exercised favorable discretion.

The game has changed from an elastic, narrative-driven stool into a rigid triad of mandatory hardware requirements that must exist upfront. ImmD no longer balances these three elements through qualitative promises or early-stage leeway. Under post-April 2026 administrative practice aligned with TTPS Category A operational substance (~HKD 2.5M enterprise scale), each leg of the stool is now an inflexible, empirical threshold audited on day one: verified HKD 1.5M–2.0M in deployed corporate bank liquidity, an executed commercial lease for exclusive physical premises (“four walls”) disqualifying serviced offices entirely, and active Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) payroll contributions for 2–3 local Hong Kong permanent residents. Unless a venture has gained admission into an officially accredited government incubator (such as Cyberport or HKSTP), relying on the historic three elements to justify a lean, bootstrapped, or phased startup will result in swift and summary refusal.

This segment is Step Five – 3 Crucial Elements For Approval.

The Rest of the Series

Introduction

How We Got Here

Must Have Resources

The Startup Visa

Step 1 – Understand Policy

Step 2 – Do You Have a Visa Problem?

Step 3 – Are You An Employee?

Step 4 – A Substantial Contribution?

Step 5 – 3 Crucial Elements

Step 6 – Have You Got Enough $$?

Step 7 – A Properly Set Up Office

Step 8 – Creating Local Jobs

Step 9 – Economic Sector Advantages?

Step 10 – D-I-Y Application

DOWNLOADS

Presentation Slides

Accredited Startup Programmes in Hong Kong

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