Hong Kong Visas Made Easy

07

Jul 2014

UPDATE! If You Are Applying For a Hong Kong Business Investment Visa You Must See This!

Posted by / in Investment Visas, Musing, Resource / 6 responses

An occasional important update from the Hong Kong Visa Centre

Two weeks ago, we had 3 business investment visas all refused on the same day.

It is clear that the Hong Kong Immigration Department have recently gotten a lot tougher.

If you intend to apply for a Hong Kong business investment visa, you must watch this update.

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

A step-by-step guide to securing a Hong Kong investment visa

Relocating to Hong Kong for work or business – the visa implications!

How to apply for the right of abode in Hong Kong without any professional help

Hong Kong investment visa – the three legs of the approvability stool

The Hong Kong Visa Geeza on RTHK Radio 3

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03

Jul 2014

Interview: Do You Think the Special Hong Kong Visa Programmes Designed for Mainland Residents are as Attractive Now as They Were When First Introduced?

Posted by / in Musing, Special Programmes / 10 responses

On June 6th, 2013 I was interviewed by five law students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong about my experiences practicing immigration here over the last 20 years.

We covered a great deal of ground in the 90 minutes we spent together and over the next few weeks I will be posting the interview broken down into 31 different segments, covering almost every Hong Kong related visa and immigration topic there is.

The students were: Dickens Roy Ken LamSunny WongToby Yip, Margaret Wo and the lady who asked most of the questions and organised the session on behalf of the group, Jacqueline Cheng.

In this segment the question posed was:

Do You Think the Special Hong Kong Visa Programmes Designed for Mainland Residents are as Attractive Now as They Were When First Introduced?

My friends and colleagues over at Astus Services Group very kindly hosted us in their facilities in Central for this interview.

Other Questions Asked During the Session

How has the experience of Hong Kong immigration policy changed over the last 20 years?

Do you personally find Hong Kong an attractive place to live, work and do business?

How has Hong Kong’s attractiveness changed for you over the last 27 years?

Do your clients typically find Hong Kong’s attractiveness today as it was to you 27 years ago?

Do Mainlanders typically enjoy the same kind of immigration experience as other foreign nationals do in Hong Kong?

In what ways do you think the different entry schemes may affect Hong Kong’s socio-economic development?

Do you think the relatively low number of foreigners coming to live and work in Hong Kong is due to it being hard to get a visa 

Do you think that the Immigration Department suitably promote and encourage participation in the various schemes designed to attract foreign national talent to Hong Kong?

How effective is the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s website in educating and promoting Hong Kong to the outside world as a place to live and work and do business?

In the last 20 years which visa type has been most in demand and easiest to anticipate an approval for?

Has Hong Kong’s effort to forge a particular social fabric through the constructs of its immigration policy been successful do you think?

In real terms what is the difference between the General Employment Policy and the Admission of Mainland Talents & Professionals Scheme?

Has there been any demographic change since the introduction of the Admission of Mainland Talents and Quality Migrant Admission Schemes?

What do you think about the Immigration Arrangement for Non-local graduates?

Do you think that IANG actually allows a loophole for foreign graduates to game the immigration system here?

Has Hong Kong ever been used as a kind of stepping stone into another immigration jurisdiction?

Do you think the special programmes designed  for Mainland residents are as attractive now as they were when they were first introduced?

Is there a threshold to attaining a visa under the General Employment Policy?

What’s actually involved in getting a Hong Kong investment visa approved?

Can it be said ImmD are sometimes lax in enforcing immigration policy? 

Which visa program would be most beneficial for Hong Kong’s society?

What was it like being an immigration consultant in Hong Kong during the time of SARS?

 We hypothesize that while the influx of non-residents into Hong Kong may benefit the economy in the short-term, the long-term negative impacts outweigh any short-term positives.  Do you agree with this statement?

 Do you think that there is preferential treatment to non-resident workers?

 What do you think is the most difficult challenge facing Hong Kong now, when it comes to competing for foreign talents and workers? (i.e. as compared to the 3 other Asian Tigers)

What’s your view on Hong Kong’s liberal visitor visa arrangements, especially regarding the large numbers of Mainlanders who come here now?

So we have 20,000 vacancies in the F+B industry but we don’t have people to fill these spots – what are ImmD doing about it?

What about the possibility of a graduate management trainee visa for a foreign national applicant?

How well does ImmD respond to the lack of skills in Hong Kong through adjustments to the General Employment Policy from time to time?

Do you think any improvements could be made on the entry schemes? If so, how?

What do you think is the biggest problem in dealing with ImmD as an organisation tasked with the dual role of providing a public service yet serving as the gatekeeper to Hong Kong?

More Stuff You Might Find Interesting or Useful

Hong Kong permanent residency – interactive information

Hong Kong right of abode approval – with a 2 year absence from the HKSAR

The twists and turns of an unusual Hong Kong permanent identity card application

My employment visa expires before my change of employer application will be finalised – help!

Preparing an Unconditional Stay application

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01

Jul 2014

Hong Kong Training Visas – Video Presentation by the Hong Kong Visa Geeza

Posted by / in Employment Visas, Musing / 3 responses

If you’re thinking about making an application for a Hong Kong Training Visa, you may find this video useful.

On March 21, 2014 I gave a presentation at the Chinese Club entitled Business Immigration to Hong Kong – A Practical Guide.

This segment discusses the who’s,why’s and wherefore’s of the Hong Kong Training Visa and how to go about applying for one.

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

Waiting in the wings – the typical experience of a foreign national spouse in the Hong Kong visa application process

Your employer must help you secure an employment visa for Hong Kong

The 7 things to tell your employer about Hong Kong employment visa sponsorship

Shareholder in the company employing you – what do the HKID think?

Can I employ myself by getting a Hong Kong business investment visa?

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28

Jun 2014

QOTW: Do You Need to Have a Job in Hong Kong to Be Able to Sponsor a Dependant Visa for Your New Spouse?

Posted by / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Musing / No responses

If you hold an employment visa and are between jobs what impact would this have on being able to sponsor a dependant visa for your spouse?

QUESTION  OF  THE  WEEK

Hi Stephen,

I am in between jobs (currently on an employment visa in HK) and plan to get married soon.

Can you tell me if being in between jobs is considered to be a negative point when I apply for my wife’s dependent visa for Hong Kong.

Can such cases be rejected by the Hong Kong Immigration Department?

Thank you

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

I have been made redundant but my wife is working – can we swap our Hong Kong employment and spouse visas around so I can become her dependant in Hong Kong?

What’s the story when you hold a Hong Kong employment visa and face redundancy?

Redundancy – the process pitfalls of an expiring Hong Kong employment visa

How to apply for a Hong Kong investment visa without any professional help

What to do if you find yourself in the Hong Kong visa ‘twilight zone’

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26

Jun 2014

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23

Jun 2014

How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong (American Club Talk) – Part 7 of 7 – Keeping It & Losing It!

Posted by / in Long Stay & PR, Musing / 3 responses

On May 29, 2014 The Henley Group sponsored a talk on How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong at the American Club.

We originally produced a version of this presentation last year.

However, this time we can bring the material to life a bit more with an actively engaged audience and a lovely ambiance to the session all told.

I hope you get value from it.

The Other Segments of this Talk

Part 1 – The Make Up of My Presentation

Part 2 – 7 Years in Hong Kong – Do You Qualify?

Part 3 – Hong Kong Ordinary Residence & When it Starts

Part 4 – Maintaining & Breaking Your Ordinary Residence

Part 5 – Settlement & Only Place of Permanent Residence

Part 6 – Paperwork & Process

Part 7 – Keeping it & Losing it!

More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting

Social media keeping immigration consultants on our toes – scary stuff!

The industry secret most Hong Kong immigration consultants don’t want you to discover

But Stephen, how do you make any money when you give all of your Hong Kong visa and immigration expertise away for free?

100% Hong Kong visa application success rate? Take it all with a grain of salt

Why internet forums are a cr@p source of Hong Kong visa and immigration advice

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21

Jun 2014

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