Hong Kong Visas Made Easy

First Birthday, Changes & the Future of the Hong Kong Visa Geeza Blog, Handbook and Centre Websites

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Musing / 5 responses

You may have noticed some changes in the design, look and feel of this Blog over the last week or so.

At the moment we are undergoing what my business partner Martyn calls the ‘Anniversary Makeover’.

On May 14, 2013 the Hong Kong Visa Geeza Blog had its first birthday and with it 309 posts, 214 comments, 13 x Case Studies, 37 x 60 Second Snapshots, 53 x Hadley Says.., 5 x Infographics, 93 x Musings and 107 x PodCast Questions Answered.

So, taken together with the more than 1000 separate free resources contained in the Hong Kong Visa Handbook , the substantial body of Hong Kong immigration know-how which our websites contain means that we have to begin to organize the content to make it easy for you to find stuff when you need it.

This is going to take us 2-3 weeks to complete so please bear with us.

At the end of this next round of changes, you should find it soooooo much easier to navigate around and land on the content that will help you solve a problem or answer your question.

But if you’re stuck in the meantime, why not ask me a question nonetheless, and I’ll give you a PodCast Answer Within 48 Hours – completely free of charge.

Martyn and I have big plans for our websites in the coming 12 months and its fair to say that only 40% of our web assets have yet been developed.

There are some clear and obvious gaps in the market for immigration know-how which typically touch and concern Hong Kong and we intend to fill them definitively.

Not to give too much away, why not take a sneak peek at www.europeanpassport.eu for a flavour of what is on the horizon?

More Stuff to Help You Along

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

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

Do immigration consultants add any value to the Hong Kong visa and immigration process?

Social media keeping Hong Kong immigration consultants on their toes – scary stuff!

Why pay for professional help in your Hong Kong QMAS application when you really can do it all by yourself

How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – No Need to Take Notes!

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Long Stay & PR, Musing / 10 responses

 10 Must Have Resources for A Successful Hong Kong Right of Abode Application

This presentation has been designed to serve as the anchor or reference point in making your own application for a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card.

You will find along with each slide, not only my narrative on each segment, but also links to further resources, videos, templates and commentary which are available in the Hong Kong Visa Handbook and also elsewhere on the Hong Kong Visa Geeza Blog.

So, there’s no need for you to take any notes and the entire presentation is available with each video segment posted.

My best advice for you, then, is to watch the entire 15 segment presentation in its entirely once and then begin to work your way though the process of preparations-making, revisiting each segment in turn to glean what you need to do and think about as your own application begins to take shape.

More In This Series

1. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Introduction

2. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Relax, No Need To Takes Notes!

3. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Order of Business

4. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Must Have Resources

5. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Are You a Foreign National?

6. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – The Approvability Test

7.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Continuous Ordinary Residence

8. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – 7 Years? Starting When?

9. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – What is “Qualifying Residence”?

10. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Are You Truly Settled in Hong Kong?

11.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Is Hong Kong Your Only Place of Permanent Residence?

12.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Security Objections & Outstanding Taxation Liabilities

13.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Paperwork, Process, Patience

14.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Losing It!!

15.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Documents Required

Other Related Resources

Chinese family in the USA with the father born in Hong Kong – can they all get the right of abode and HKSAR passports?

Will a criminal record for shoplifting compromise your immediate and long term plans for residence in Hong Kong?

What Can be Said to Constitute ‘Ordinary Residence’ for the Purposes of a Hong Kong Right of Abode Application?

Does my child get the right of abode if she wasn’t born in Hong Kong but I have the right to land?

Britcham spills the beans on the Hong Kong Visa Centre’s deepest secret

How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Introduction

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Long Stay & PR, Musing, Resource / 26 responses

10 Must Have Resources for A Successful Hong Kong Right of Abode Application

This 15 segment presentation is designed to empower long term foreign national residents of Hong Kong to remove all their current immigration conditions and go on to become permanent residents.

Permanent residency is derived from the Hong Kong Basic Law and, once granted, is manifested in a Permanent Identity Card – which itself states that the holder has the Right of Abode in Hong Kong.

The terms Permanent ID, right of abode, permanent residency and PR are all the same thing – they all mean that you possess the rolls royce immigration status in Hong Kong which is a prize worth having making a foreign national as close to being a Hong Kong Citizen as is legally possible.

However, it is important to appreciate that the quality of the Right of Abode for foreign nationals in Hong Kong is actually just inferior to the Right of Abode which Chinese nationals in Hong Kong secure.

As a foreigner who secures PR here on the strength of long term residency can actually lose their right of abode in certain circumstances whereas Chinese nationals cannot.

Moreover foreigners holding permanent identity cards cannot go on to get HKSAR passports, whilst Chinese nationals can.

These anomalies are not, however, driven by racism but rather the intricacies of Chinese nationality law. It doesn’t matter what the colour of your skin is or your ethnic background, you must be a Chinese citizen in order to have an unfettered Right of Abode and access to a HKSAR passport.

So, this presentation is designed specifically for long term foreign national residents of Hong Kong, lasts no more than 30 minutes all told and seeks to provide you with all the information and resources that you need to go on to make an application for the right of abode without needing to pay anyone for professional help.

More In This Series

1. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Introduction

2. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Relax, No Need To Takes Notes!

3. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Order of Business

4. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Must Have Resources

5. How To Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Are You a Foreign National?

6. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – The Approvability Test

7.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Continuous Ordinary Residence

8. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – 7 Years? Starting When?

9. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – What is “Qualifying Residence”?

10. How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Are You Truly Settled in Hong Kong?

11.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Is Hong Kong Your Only Place of Permanent Residence?

12.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Security Objections & Outstanding Taxation Liabilities

13.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Paperwork, Process, Patience

14.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Losing It!

15.  How to Apply for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong – Without Any Professional Help – Documents Required

Other Related Resources

What impact will a temporary yet long term secondment overseas for work have on my Hong Kong PR application 3 years from now?

I lived in Hong Kong for 11 years but have been gone for the last 7 – can I still get permanent residency?

Help! All my family are permanent residents of Hong Kong and I’m stuck as a visitor due to my time spent studying abroad – is there any way forward?

How does Hong Kong right of abode downgrade to the right to land materialize and what are the immigration implications of this?

A Public Thank You to the Hong Kong Immigration Department

The Visa Geeza on RTHK Radio Three – May 2013

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Family Visas, Musing / No responses

Phil  and I had a rare old discussion yesterday when he had me back on Morning Brew over at RTHK Radio 3. By the time I got there he had, unbeknownst to me, prepared the judges words from a recent Hong Kong court case about transgender recognition which he wanted to debate. The whole session lasts about 20 minutes but here is the opinion (from 6.08 in) I gave when he sprung the question on me out of the blue and asked me to bear my soul on air.

” I think the judge is effectively opening the ground for discussion to good things like equality for same sex partners and people who have made the decision that they are going to change their gender and who should have the reality of their change of gender reflected in legal protection. Why should they be discriminated against just because of the way they were born and the way that they view the world?  In due course I think that same sex partners in Hong Kong are going to get the right kind of treatment that they deserve “.

You can listen to the whole discussion here.

Phil and Morning Brew are highly active on Facebook and you can listen live to Phil’s show daily, via the web here.

More Stuff You Might Like

Understanding the procedure for  Hong Kong same sex partner visa application

10 Must Have resources for a same sex partner visa application for Hong Kong

How important are photographs when documenting relationship bona fides in a same sex partner visa application for the HKSAR?

Can I work remotely for an overseas employer whilst I remain Hong Kong with my same sex partners on a prolonged visitor visa?

An open invitation for you to request specific Hong Kong visa and immigration related content

 

Listen To The Show

Podcast: Play in new window

REMINDER: How to Apply for a Hong Kong Investment Visa Without Any Professional Help – Public Talk by Stephen Barnes Today in Wanchai

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Musing / No responses

Just a quick reminder about the talk I am giving  at  Centre O  tonight (Tuesday, 14th of May)  on the challenges faced by foreign national entrepreneurs in securing the necessary immigration permissions to join in or establish businesses here in Hong Kong.

This is a free session (i.e. no $$ required) and a great opportunity to network with like-minded souls setting out on their own in doing business in the HKSAR.

The cut and thrust of my presentation will be on how to go about applying for – and getting approved – a Hong Kong investment visa without the need to engage any professional help.

That’s right – how to get an investment visa, for free!

My presentation is only 17 minutes long, but the session is designed to be ongoing Q&A interactive in a very cosy atmosphere so expect to be engaged for about 90 minutes, eating drinking and networking with no more than 20 others.

Consequently, the session has very limited spots so please RSVP to Josephine ASAP and reserve your place.

I’m going to be on hand to answer any questions you have about your own visa situations, and will stick around after the session for as long as it takes to talk to you all.

Josephine provides an excellent service at Centre O (we are a client too) and goes out of her way to take care of her customers and guests.

There’ll be lots of wine on hand for the session, some great food and an excellent, convivial atmosphere.

While you’re there you can also check out her excellent facilities too.

In the meantime, have a look at our 10 Must Have Hong Kong Investment Visa Resources, attend the talk, then pick my brains for all they’re worth!

See you tonight!

 

Date: Tuesday May 14, 2013

Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Location: 14/F, China Hong Kong Tower, 8 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong  (Google Map)

Contacts: t: +852 3124 2888,  e: info [at] centreohk.com

How Does Legal Marriage Between Same Sex Partners Impact on the Hong Kong Visa Process?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Family Visas, Your Question Answered / 4 responses

Whist, unfortunately, same sex partners cannot (at this moment in time at least) qualify for dependant visas. The question is still begged as to how formal marriage or civil partnerships between such couples impacts on the Hong Kong Visa process.

QUESTION

Hi Geeza,

Here is my question.

I work for an Australian organisation in Portugal, but am thinking of moving to Hong Kong to work for our counterpart there.

My same sex partner is Portuguese. We are not married, but we will get married in Lisbon before we move to Hong Kong.

So, my question is: will he get a visa? If so, what type of visa will he get?  

Thanks

More Stuff You May Find Useful Or Interesting

Understanding the procedure for  Hong Kong same sex partner visa application

10 Must Have resources for a same sex partner visa application for Hong Kong

How important are photographs when documenting relationship bona fides in a same sex partner visa application for the HKSAR?

Can I work remotely for an overseas employer whilst I remain Hong Kong with my same sex partners on a prolonged visitor visa?

An open invitation for you to request specific Hong Kong visa and immigration related content

PODCAST ANSWER

Podcast: Play in new window

Britcham Spills the Beans on the Hong Kong Visa Centre’s Deepest Secret…

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Musing, VG Front Page / 14 responses

Not really. There’s nothing revealed here that I haven’t disclosed many times previously.

Just looking for a catchy headline!

In the My Story video (part 3), I explain why and how my professional practice is configured in the way it is and, in the form of an Infographic, I answered the question that I get asked a lot, namely, how the hell do I ever make any money when I give away all my Hong Kong visa and immigration know-how for free?

We get a shout out on pages 20 and 21 of the Britcham magazine.

You can download a PDF of the article here.

It’s authored by Dominic Masterson-Smith, Head Honcho at Human Communications.

Dominic knows a thing or 2 about marketing in the network economy. If what we’re doing on our websites resonates with you, I suggest you give him a call.

OK – now to the real point to this post.

Several times a week I get asked by clients and other visitors to our websites about who does our web design and how do we go about the configuration of our web presence all told.

We basically do it all ourselves but outsource certain aspects to others in India, Pakistan, the UK and China.

This tends to be the design elements that we don’t have the skill set for in-house and we buy a lot of off-the-shelf components that plug into the WordPress platform that underpins everything we do on the web.

My partner Martyn is a dab hand at mashing up off-the-shelf tech but his real brilliance lies in very deep immigration services domain knowledge (he’s been at this with me for over 15 years now).

This means our websites deeply address the real purpose for what they are designed: to allow people to find us when we are needed, help solve visa problems along the way and answer questions whenever we are asked.

For free. No strings attached.

In the coming weeks, I intend to write more about how we go about doing what we do with our websites and the way that we do it.

I have several clients now who are all experts in the various elements that we use to deliver our free (and paid) services and I intend to post a directory of their skill sets and how you can engage them.

I’ll do this in the not too distant future.

So, even though we do what we do for ourselves in-house, with our own resources, these talented operators in Hong Kong can help you achieve the same things with ‘content marketing’ as we are.

We understand their capabilities and their credentials because we did their visas.

So, if you’re keen to travel down the same road as we have in configuring your business, you can take the journey with them.

With their help along the way!

More Stuff You May Find Interesting or Useful

Stephen Barnes What’s Up Hong Kong Interview: Immigration, Visas, the Universe Life & Everything!

2 Hong Kong Visa Centre Clients Get a Mention in the SCMP

Legal Champion of Immigration Rights in Hong Kong – Mark Daly Talks at the FCC (VIDEO)

MUST READ: True Story of a Deluded Foreign National Trying to Sue His Way to a Hong Kong Employment Visa!

STOP PRESS..! Hitler’s HKSAR Passport Application Has been Rejected