Hong Kong Visa Geeza | Hong Kong Visas Made Easy

27

Feb 2021

How Can an Overseas Company Temporarily Sponsor Hong Kong Employment Visa Permissions?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Your Question Answered / 2 responses

A frequently experienced conundrum.

How can a foreign company temporarily sponsor Hong Kong employment visa permissions for its employees and contractors who need to work here in pursuit of a commercial arrangement which is of an indefinite or fixed duration here?

QUESTION

How can one visit and deliver short-term (typically 1-5 days duration) training courses in Hong Kong on behalf of an international training company headquartered in New York and which has a local office in Hong Kong.

The training would be delivered course-by-course under an ‘umbrella’ contract with the Hong Kong company i.e. no direct employee relationship, on an episodic basis to the Hong Kong office through an overseas Limited Company in South Africa whilst travelling on a South African Passport.

What visa and application process would be applicable? It seems that different countries tend to treat this quite differently with some granting a business visa on written request from the host company, or in other cases allow this type of activity under a short-term waiver e.g. Singapore.

I am sure this must be a common situation, but I can’t see how this can be handled. Hong Kong Business Visas appear to stipulate you can’t work or provide a service or am I misreading the intention? I hope that I have provided enough detail and it is succinct enough.

Thanks very much in advance and looking forward to your reply.

More Stuff You May Find Useful Or Interesting

The perils of contriving a job offer just for the purposes of a Hong Kong employment visa application

Is it ever possible to extend a Hong Kong training visa?

How flexible is the Admission of Mainland Talents & Professionals Scheme in enabling Chinese nationals to come and work in Hong Kong?

Can I study then get married all the while holding an employment visa sponsored by a company I no longer work for?

Is it ever OK to work in Hong Kong on a visitor visa?


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25

Feb 2021

What Can I Do If My Employment Contract Ends on the Same Day as My Hong Kong Work Visa and I Need to Stay Here a While Longer to Sort Out My Affairs?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Your Question Answered / No responses

Employment law and immigration law are often overlapping but must be dealt with separately…

What can I do If my employment contract ends on the same day as my Hong Kong work visa and I need to stay here a while longer to sort out my affairs?

QUESTION

I am in a fix with a difficult-to-deal-with local company.

My 2 year contract with them expires this October 20. My work visa expires on the same day.

Is my employer legally required to serve a one month notice?

If the HR Department mention nothing to me, is my last day at work October 20, and am I required to leave the country? I am Canadian.

Is my employer required to contact the Immigration Department and notify them of my employment ending? At what date?

If I leave Hong Kong on the 20th of October to Macau for the night and return on the 21st, can I come in on a 3 month visitor visa so I can pack up the house?

Or is it better to go to the Immigration Department on the 18th/19th and apply for an extension to pack up my things and leave Hong Kong?

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

How can my FDH visa holding fiance transition into a dependant visa with 6-12 months to run before we get married?

Why do some Hong Kong visa applications take months to finalise (if ever?)

The economy at home is very bad – what investment visa options exist for you in Hong Kong?

Is the Travel Pass as good as a Hong Kong employment visa?

The reality for same sex partner visa applicants in Hong Kong


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23

Feb 2021

Do You Really Need to Set Up Your Own Office if You Have a Hong Kong Investment Visa?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / No responses

Once you have persuaded the Hong Kong Immigration Department of your ability to make a substantial contribution to the economy of Hong Kong and have been granted an investment visa, can you then argue, after the fact, that actually, you have no practical need to establish office premises of your own after all?

QUESTION

I started a business and got a Hong Kong investment visa 2 years ago. During that period, I have worked as an independent consultant for the same financial services company. I work full time on-site at this office. I have not had my own office during this period.

I have reapplied for a Hong Kong investment visa successfully twice, and each time Immigration only granted me a one-year visa, each time subjecting me to business review the following year (including this year). They warned me I need to better prove I am contributing to the local economy, by having my own office and hiring local employees.

My question is this – do I really need to rent an office? I will actually never use the office, so for me, it would be a waste of money. Or, instead of getting my own office, would you suggest I share an office, find a cheap service office, or even get a virtual office?

My friends who also own businesses in Hong Kong say I shouldn’t worry about getting an office. I am highly skilled, and Hong Kong needs people with my skills. I also have plenty of cash in my business account.

I can also get strong referral letters, including one from my main client, who will describe how I provide necessary ‘independent’ analyst for them.

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

How extensive should my business plan be in order to get a Hong Kong investment visa?

Do you have a business plan template I can use in my Hong Kong investment visa application?

How to ensure you’re not breaking the law by operating a business in Hong Kong as a Visitor

Are there any advantages to being an existing Hong Kong resident when you make an application for an investment visa?

Why do Hong Kong investment visas get denied?


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21

Feb 2021

UPDATE: Hong Kong – Singapore Travel Bubble MAY Start March 2021

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Feature Article, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Sherpa, Special Programmes, VG Front Page, Visitor Visas / No responses

UPDATE: February 21, 2021 – Local English press are reporting the Bubble might be up for grabs next month. Fingers crossed: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3122491/coronavirus-hong-kong-singapore-talks-again-over

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COVID19 continues apace. Bubble put back until 2021 at the earliest… I’ll update this post with news as it comes in.

Sigh…

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Hong Kong – Singapore Travel Bubble!

The long-awaited air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong will [NOT] start on November 22 with a quota of 200 passengers each way on one dedicated flight per day. It’s a start!

Picture Credit: CX

This will be increased to 2 flights daily from December 7 onwards.

Visitors to Singapore from Hong Kong have to apply Air Travel Pass (ATP) between 7 to 30 days before entering Singapore and applications opened on November 12.

For details on the Singapore end, see this link.

For FAQs on the Hong Kong end, see this link.

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

Statistically, what are the chances of your Hong Kong investment visa being approved?

The anatomy of a ‘slam dunk’ investment visa application -taking just 7 weeks to approval

Why do Hong Kong investment visa applications get denied?

The ImmD are out to refuse – not approve – visa applications (aren’t they?)

10 Must Have resources for any Hong Kong investment visa application

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20

Feb 2021

What Compliance Obligations Do I Have if I Hold a Hong Kong Employment Visa and Want to Start Freelancing After I Stop Working for My Employer-Sponsor?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 1 response

I hold a Hong Kong employment visa and want to start freelancing…

As a foreign national temporarily resident in Hong Kong on a sponsored employment visa, there are a number of different compliance issues that need to be addressed if you lose your job and you fancy embarking down the path of freelancing on your own behalf.

QUESTION

I have work permit granted to me (I was hired as a professional here in Hong Kong in my last employment).

Now, I am in job transition and I would like to do some freelance.

Must I form a company here in order for me to do business with clients?

Can I issue invoice under my personal name, without a registered company here in Hong Kong?

More Stuff to Help You Along

10 Must Have resources for any Hong Kong investment visa application

Is there any special visa type for foreign national visa professionals seeking to live and freelance in Hong Kong?

The challenge of visa approvability for freelance writers and reporters in Hong Kong

Freelance consulting in Hong Kong – can you get a visa?

What are you really buying from a Hong Kong immigration consultant?


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18

Feb 2021

How Accommodating Are ImmD to Foreign National ‘Job Hoppers’ Seeking to Change Their Hong Kong Employment Visa Sponsorship All-Too Frequently?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Special Programmes, Your Question Answered / No responses

So what DO the Immigration Department make of applicants who too-frequently seek to change their Hong Kong employment visa sponsorship?

QUESTION

I was previously working in Hong Kong for a company for the past 2.5 years and switched jobs 32 days ago.

My previous employer is now offering me a much senior position and really wants me back.

I had been with the company for more than 12 years out of which 2.5 were here in Hong Kong and would love to rejoin.

I have now been with the new employer for only one month and am wondering that if I resign and accept the role at my previous employer will the Hong Kong Immigration Department change my work visa again or will they make a big fuss about it and say NO?

Thank you for your assistance.