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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 8 of this series addressed the pivotal question of local job creation and how it factored into establishing a “substantial contribution to the economy” under the General Employment Policy. The Geeza provided practical reassurance to cash-conscious founders: while employing local Hong Kong staff was an essential statutory touchstone, ImmD exercised considerable commercial empathy toward early-stage ventures. Case officers routinely recognized that premature hiring could drain a fledgling company’s working capital; as a result, foreign entrepreneurs could regularly secure initial approval based solely on a well-reasoned, phased hiring projection over a two- to three-year ramp-up period, operating as solo founders from serviced offices or utilizing occasional local freelancers while preserving their modest seed capital of a few hundred thousand dollars.

The game has changed from a forward-looking headcount forecast into a mandatory, day-one operational threshold. ImmD no longer grants investment as entrepreneur visas on the speculative promise of creating jobs in subsequent years. Under post-April 2026 administrative practice aligned with TTPS Category A operational substance (~HKD 2.5M enterprise scale), local job creation is an unyielding, auditable prerequisite at initial adjudication. The business vehicle must substantiate active Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) payroll contributions for 2–3 local Hong Kong permanent residents, backed by executed employment contracts and market-rate salaries. When combined with mandatory requirements for HKD 1.5M–2.0M in deployed corporate bank liquidity and an executed lease for exclusive physical premises (“four walls”), treating local headcount as a future aspiration ensures swift and summary refusal, unless the venture has secured admission into an accredited government incubator.

This segment is Step Eight – Creating Local Jobs

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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