DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: Tips on How to Apply For a Hong Kong Visa – Public Talk @ WYND on June 17, 2014 From 7 ~ 8 pm

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Musing / No responses

Not everyone needs a business investment visa to start your own business in Hong Kong…

This Tuesday evening, the good guys at WYND co-working space right in the heart of SOHO and LKF have asked me to come and have a fireside chat about the types of immigration status available if you are a foreign national visitor to Hong Kong yet fancy getting involved in business here.

The topics I anticipate covering are business investment visa, working visa, working holiday visa, training visa, dependant visa, student visa, the immigration arrangements for non-local graduates and the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.

This session is designed to provide an essential overview of the visa types that might be relevant for you as you seek to gain a foothold on residence in the HKSAR.

Most important, though, it gives you an opportunity to button hole me and have all your questions answered – for free!

I will stick around after the session for as long as it takes to make sure you know what you need to do next regarding any Hong Kong visa application you are thinking of making.

Hope to see you then!

The session is 100% free but does require eventbrite registration.

You can do this now, here.

WHEN Tuesday June 17, 2014 @ 7pm

WHERE Wynd Co-Working Space

LOCATION  Room 1003, 43-55 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central.

CONTACT +852 3462 2777

REGISTER Sign Up Here

MAP Directions Here

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Applying for a Hong Kong Visitor Visa – Video Presentation by the Hong Kong Visa Geeza

How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong (American Club Talk) – Part 3 of 7 – Ordinarily Resident?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Long Stay & PR, Musing / 2 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!

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How can a foreign national permanent resident of Hong Kong get a HKSAR passport?

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How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong (American Club Talk) – Part 2 of 7 – Do You Qualify?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Long Stay & PR, Musing / 2 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!

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How do foreign national children resident in Hong Kong for 7 years go on to acquire permanent residency here?

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If you stay in Hong Kong for 7 Years as a de-facto spouse holding a prolonged visitor visa will you qualify for permanent residency?

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Applying for a Hong Kong Travel Pass – Video Presentation by the Hong Kong Visa Geeza

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Musing, Visitor Visas / 3 responses

Everything you need to know about the Hong Kong  Travel Pass.

On March 21, 2014 I gave a presentation at the Chinese Club entitled Business Immigration to Hong Kong – A Practical Guide. This 8 minute segment discusses the Hong Kong Travel Pass in considerable detail.

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QOTW: Can I Get PR in Hong Kong if My Child Was Born There And He Has Right of Abode by Birth?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Family Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing / 2 responses

Does Hong Kong permanent residency accrue automatically to parents of children born with the right of abode in the HKSAR?

QUESTION  OF  THE  WEEK

Hi,

My son (1 year old) has a Hong Kong Passport.

My wife and I are not PRs.

Would it be possible to apply for Hong Kong PR through my son?

Thanks

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How to Extend a Hong Kong Prolonged Visitor Visa for a Defacto Spouse or Same Sex Partner

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Family Visas, Musing, Visitor Visas / 2 responses

I am really grateful to a client of mine whom we assisted in securing a prolonged visitor visa sponsored by his same sex life partner in 2013.

This morning he very kindly sent me the following synopsis of the extension experience he underwent down at Immigration Tower recently, which I am delighted to share:

Extension Process

Stephen,

I updated you on this last fall but as I went through the process once again a month ago and it seems they’ve got their process settled, I thought I’d alert you in case you weren’t aware.

This is for the 6-month discretionary long-term visitor visa extension for same sex partners.

This time I prepared it all, they didn’t tell me anything was unnecessary so I’ll do the same next time.

I took – 

1. ID91

2. ID481A

3. ID481B

4. 1003A (photo not necessary)

5. A detailed sponsor letter specifically denoting financial responsibility.

6. A letter stating no interest in working or education schemes.

7. Passport & Copy of the ID pages

8. Sponsor Passport & HK ID card & copies

The procedure is thus-

A. Go to Floor 5, Window 2 (the long line).

B. Present the package and get a call number.

C. When the number is called proceed to the designated window and answer any questions the officer may have and fill in additional information on the forms that you may have missed (I did).

D. When done you’ll be directed to the other side of the floor to await the visa, this time they will call you by name so you have to pay attention. The first time the wait was approximately 15 minutes, this last time it was well over an hour.

They seem to have been schooled in how to deal with these applications as both the appointment window and the officer handling the forms were unfazed by the process.  

Because I initially went to the wrong line (window 1) and was eventually redirected to the now enormous line for window 2 the whole process took nearly 4 hours to complete.

If I had not wasted my time on line 1 and subsequent discussions resisting being shuffled to line 2 (I was fairly sure it would turn out to be wrong) I probably would have been out of there in less than 2 hours.

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Applying For A Hong Kong Visitor Visa

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Musing, Visitor Visas / 1 response

Applying For A Hong Kong Visitor Visa

Everything you need to know about the Hong Kong Visitor visa

 … and how to apply

 

 

Practice Update 2026 – This content must be read in light of changes to ImmD practice since it was first published

Applying For A Hong Kong Visitor Visa ? Under Hong Kong immigration control, foreign nationals whose nationalities require an entry visa prior to arrival—or visa-exempt travelers needing an extended block of time beyond default airport landing stamps—must navigate the formal entry visa application process. In Applying For A Hong Kong Visitor Visa – Video Presentation By The Hong Kong Visa Geeza (examined alongside his comprehensive guide on Getting A Visitor Visa For Hong Kong), Stephen Barnes, the Hong Kong Visa Geeza, details the procedural mechanics and departmental scrutiny governing visitor visa applications:

 

All entry visitor visa applications have migrated to the electronic realm and are submitted via the official GovHK Online Application for Entry Visa/Permit (for Visit/Transit) portal. Rather than being treated as a casual administrative tick-box exercise, an application for a visitor entry visa is adjudicated under strict statutory standards pursuant to Section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance. Case officers scrutinize four fundamental criteria: whether the applicant has established a genuine, credible purpose for the visit (such as tourism, family reunion, or preliminary commercial meetings); whether the applicant possesses sufficient funds to maintain themselves without recourse to public funds or illegal labor; whether onward travel arrangements and accommodation are fully booked; and whether strong socio-economic ties to their home country ensure departure at the end of the stay.

Stephen Barnes – The Hong Kong Visa Geeza

 

Securing entry clearance confers ordinary visitor status, which carries an absolute statutory bar against taking up paid or unpaid employment, establishing or joining in any business, or enrolling in local educational institutions. To understand how contemporary immigration policy creates structured, lawful avenues for temporary specialist contributions without compromising baseline visitor entry controls, Stephen Barnes provides the definitive analysis in Practice Update: The 2026 Immigration Facilitation Scheme – Short-Term Work for Visitors to Hong Kong.

 The essential operational reality detailed in the Practice Update is that while the regularized and expanded Short-Term Visitor Facilitation Scheme—now encompassing 18 designated sectors as of 1 October 2026—provides an express statutory exception to the visitor employment ban, it does not exempt visa-required nationals from obtaining lawful entry clearance in advance. Under the facilitation arrangements, qualifying international talent invited by one of roughly 490 government-endorsed host organisations can lawfully undertake specified professional activities—and receive remuneration where approved—for up to 14 consecutive calendar days per visit without securing a full work visa under the General Employment Policy. Crucially, as Stephen Barnes emphasizes across both publications, an institutional invitation under the scheme is an activity authorization, not an entry visa substitute. A visa-required traveler must still apply for and secure an entry visitor visa through the Immigration Department’s online portal prior to boarding their flight. However, holding an official invitation letter from an accredited host organization within one of the 18 designated sectors serves as concrete, unimpeachable justification for entry, effectively neutralizing default departmental skepticism regarding bona fides and financial maintenance. Foreign travelers and inviting organizations must observe strict procedural sequencing: pre-arrival entry permissions must be secured digitally before departure, while on-the-ground professional execution must fit squarely within authorized institutional facilitation or be regularized through conventional employment visa channels.

On March 21, 2014 I gave a presentation at the Chinese Club entitled Business Immigration to Hong Kong – A Practical Guide. This 8 minute segment discusses the Hong Kong Visitor visa in considerable detail.

 

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