Immigration Department Service Disruptions (For At Least Until February 11, 2022)
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO OUR CLIENTS
Due to the latest situation of coronavirus, the Immigration Department is offering a limited service currently. Please see the arrangement below for your reference. ImmD will announce their updated service arrangement next week.
We will update you again when there is anything new.
Please note, none of this will negatively impact on your current and future status nor be deemed negative in terms of chances of visa approval.
5/F Extension: Visa applications can be submitted by getting tags if the visa is going to expire in less than 1 month; Visitor visa extension applications can only be submitted if the visa is going to expire within 7 days. Other applications (change of category / sponsorship) can only be submitted in Drop-in Box. For us, business as usual until further notice.
6/F Extension: Opened. Visa extension applications can be submitted only if the visa is going to expire in less than 1 month. Other applications can only be submitted in Drop-in Box. For us, business as usual.
7/F Other Visas and Permits: Open. Applications can be submitted as usual. No visa collection can be completed. For us, business as usual.
8/F HKID: Urgent replacement of identity cards service only. For us, business as usual.
24/F Employment and Visit Visas: Open. We can only submit your applications through a drop-in box. Visa collection can be completed as usual. For us, business as usual.
25/F Right of Abode: Closed. Only provide urgent services (eg. Prior appointment). Applications can only be submitted in Drop-in Box. Business as usual for us.
Hong Kong Working Visas For A Sponsor Business With 100% Foreign National Experts?
What would the Hong Kong Immigration Department make of a new, highly specialised business who’s fundamental ability to exist was driven by the need to import unique foreign national skills and talent?
Updated January 2022
QUESTION
Hi Steve, two questions about Hong Kong working visas.
First, I’ve recently set up my own business in a specialised area (Wildlife Management Consultancy) and have been getting requests by post grads that I’ve lectured to working in this field who are from abroad as to whether there are any intern slots available.
I’ll need some help in developing the business and wondered whether there was a particular Hong Kong working visas that could satisfy this specific scenario?
Secondly, I heard you talking about difficulties in F&B getting professional status for potential employees (normally only chefs).
If I’m to grow the business I need help & there are some people I’d like to approach who have very particular set of skills (habitat conservation, species migration, specialist animal handling skills, etc) that I would want them to have.
Supposing I could offer a position to that special somebody, are there any Hong Kong working visas that this person could get?
If I only can rely on Hong Kong employees I can’t see the business model working.
Can I Use An Online Marriage Certificate to Get A Hong Kong Dependant Visa?
Broken hearts be what they are.
This sort of enforced separation from your loved ones in Hong Kong has meant that the Immigration Department in recent times have had to consider applications for dependent visas from people who have been married online.
Before COVID online marriages were simply not accepted by the Immigration Department. About 18 months ago, I saw the first instance of a marriage certificate being put forward as the basis of a dependent visa application for a couple who were forced to progress their nuptials online.
Since then there have been a couple of other instances where the Hong Kong Immigration Department have been willing to positively consider recognizing the online marriage legally, in recent weeks, at least.
But as I say, 18 months ago, their response was they were having none of that.
Indeed, until about four or five months ago, I was still seeing instances of the Immigration Department really dragging their heels as to whether or not they were going to recognize these online nuptial celebrations as being representative of a legal marriage that is fit for a grant of dependent visa.
However, in the last few weeks, I’ve seen two separate instances of ImmD playing ball, indeed, I had one lady who was not a client, but we came across her on a Facebook group and she very kindly shared with us her experience that she’d had with her own online marriage to a Hong Kong permanent resident that the Immigration Department we’re happy to accept the marriage certificate for and my colleague, in the meantime, has done an application where an online marriage certificate was also accepted by the Immigration Department.
What it seems to boil down to is this, the ease and convenience of being able to get your nuptials legally acknowledged through an online ceremony, typically through Utah means that there is a kind of a temptation for people just to you know, go ahead and just deal kind of like a Las Vegas marriage psychology to it, which would suggest to the Immigration Department that if they’re going to recognize this legal marriage, for the purposes of the term dependent visa, they’re going to drill really deeply down into the genuine nature of the relationship.
The two instances that we’ve had direct experience of in last few weeks, one relationship was clearly documented, for seven years, and the other relationship was clearly documented well for five years (there also being a child in the marriage).
So it’s obvious in those circumstances that the relationship is genuine.
All the other criteria for grant of dependent visa have to be positively addressed to0 needless to say: you need the Hong Kong resident sponsor to be able to show that you can put a roof over your partner’s head and food on your partner’s table.
But otherwise, if there is a genuine relationship, it’s through that as the marriage is being recognized through one of two online marriage celebration services as it were, I’ll put links in the in the blog post that this video accompanies so that you can see what that’s all about if you’ve got if your relationship is genuine and COVID has forced you, not having other circumstances available to be able to do it the traditional way with your family and friends all around you.
The Immigration Department at this point in time appear to be playing ball.
Hong Kong Permanent Residency Approval With 2 Year Absence From Hong Kong!
First Published: December 8, 2013
This case study details a Hong Kong Right of Abode application where our client had, due to ill health, unexpectedly spent more than two years away from Hong Kong during the 7 years of continuous ordinary residence needed to lawfully establish permanent residency in the HKSAR.
Any chance of an employment visa to teach English in Hong Kong if you don’t have a degree?
QUESTION
I’m hoping to move to Hong Kong to teach English and find employment with an employer who will grant me a work visa.
I’m a British, recently turned 30. I have studied 2 years Higher Education which is equivalent to 2 years University Degree. I recently passed the TEFL teaching course.
But I don’t have the 3 years full degree, my qualification is only 2 years equivalent, do you think I’m still capable of getting a work visa?
I’m hoping to stay 7 full years if a visa is granted to become a Permanent Resident.
Why was I told by an employer that if I already had a working visa they would be willing to sponsor me otherwise they could not.
What is the difference between the first visa application and the others?
To explain myself better i will make you an example:
Just yesterday I sat an interview and I was asked about a visa. I made clear that I needed a sponsor and the interviewer said that he was not able to provide sponsorship, however, he said that if I managed to get a Hong Kong employment visa he could transfer it over.
How do you go about demonstrating to the Hong Kong Immigration Department that your relationship is a genuine one as you apply for a Hong Kong dependant visa?
QUESTION
I have a question about the interplay between marriage and subsequently obtaining a Hong Kong dependant visa.
Our situation is as follows: I am professional with an employment visa for HK (through sponsorship). I can provide accommodation and living well above subsistence level for us both. I have been in Hong Kong for 9 months. I have a French passport.
My girlfriend holds a German passport. She arrived in Hong Kong in three weeks ago and so has a 90 days visitor visa. She came here to spend time with me but of course also to look into job opportunities. As you know it is much easier to take up employment when on a dependant visa compared to having to go through the process of finding an employer who wants to sponsor you.
We are not married but we are considering the option so as to (1) get peace of mind in regards to right of staying here and (2) to make it easier for my girlfriend to get a job here in Hong Kong.
We understand it is quite easy to arrange a legal marriage here in Hong Kong and that it takes about two weeks.
What we are interested in finding out is however what happens after the marriage and whether, in our circumstances, we are likely to obtain a Hong Kong dependant visa easily.
We are unable to prove previous cohabitation (Hong Kong is our first chance to live together) and we have only been a couple for little more than a year. Nevertheless our motivation to be together is genuine and marriage is probably something that would happen further down the line.
So to sum up all we would have to convince Immigration is a marriage entered into in Hong Kong together with a genuine motivation to be together.
My question are therefore:
(A) Whilst we can easily get married (the formalities), can we expect the Immigration Department to grant a dependant visa to my girlfriend?
(B) How long is the process likely to take?
(C) Is she allowed to stay in Hong Kong while the visa application is being processed and can she travel with me on one or two extended weekend holidays during the remainder of the 90 days?
We understand a new entry triggers a new 90 day period and that a total of more than 180 days stay in one year is likely to result in questions and possibly Short Conditional Landing status.
