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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 6 of this series tackled the perennial question of financial adequacy—determining how much capital was truly required to satisfy ImmD’s “substantial contribution to the economy” test. The Geeza dispelled the persistent myth that an applicant needed millions of dollars to get across the line, emphasizing that Hong Kong immigration policy imposed no statutory minimum investment. Instead, adequacy was evaluated flexibly and pragmatically against the specific commercial requirements of the venture: “enough” simply meant sufficient funds to carry the enterprise to operational break-even based on realistic cash-flow projections. For lean consultancies, digital agencies, and professional practices, foreign founders regularly secured approval with modest initial capital of a few hundred thousand dollars, keeping costs down via serviced office desks and deferring local hiring until revenue materialized.

The game has changed from a subjective, model-dependent capital assessment into a rigid, non-negotiable institutional liquidity mandate. ImmD no longer accepts that a business can be adequately funded on a shoestring budget or through projected cash flows. Under post-April 2026 administrative practice aligned with TTPS Category A operational substance (~HKD 2.5M enterprise scale), financial adequacy requires verifiable, unencumbered corporate liquidity of HKD 1.5M–2.0M deployed in a local corporate bank account on day one. This capital cannot exist merely on paper or be reserved for personal living expenses; it must actively support immediate operational hardware, including an executed commercial lease for exclusive physical premises (“four walls”) and active MPF payroll contributions for 2–3 local permanent residents. Attempting to launch an un-incubated business on modest seed capital of a few hundred thousand dollars will result in swift and summary refusal.

This segment is Step Six – Have You Got Enough $$?

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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