A Visa For Entrepreneurs

PRACTICE UPDATE: Navigating The New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Musing, Practice Update, Special Programmes, VG Front Page / No responses

Navigating The New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES)     “Over three and a half decades of Hong Kong immigration practice, we have never seen a policy landscape as sharply divided as today’s. While routes like the Top Talent Pass Scheme and the Entrepreneur visa now demand aggressive, on-the-ground economic proof – payroll, physical […]

The Twists And Turns Of An Unusual Hong Kong Permanent Residency Application

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Case Study, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR / 10 responses

Although this case study is based on a situation I was asked to provide guidance to many years ago, its content is still relevant today.   Our client was a French national with a wife and 5 year old daughter – all of them, French citizens. He had first arrived in Hong Kong in 2004 […]

What Are You Really Buying From A Hong Kong Immigration Consultant?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in 60 Second Snapshot, Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 9 responses

What Do You Get For Your Money When You Instruct A Hong Kong Immigration Consultant? First Published 2012 (15 Years Ago – Look How Young I Am!) PRACTICE UPDATE OCTOBER 2026: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: Look, if you head over to any expat forum or Reddit […]

Considerably Heightened Diligence by ImmD on All Types of Hong Kong Visa Applications

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Sherpa, Visitor Visas / 2 responses

Updated October 12, 2026.   Heightened ImmD Scrutiny ImmD shifted from a traditional “process and approve” paradigm to an aggressive compliance-and-audit model. This heightened diligence has been driven by several key factors: 1. Abuse of New Talent Schemes: Massive application volumes under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) and QMAS led to illicit intermediaries selling […]

PRACTICE UPDATE: A Major Strategic Shift: The Upgraded Assessment Regime for Hong Kong’s Investment as Entrepreneur Visa

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Musing, Practice Update, VG Front Page / No responses

A Major Change: The Upgraded Assessment Regime for Hong Kong’s Entrepreneur Visa     “The era of ImmD ‘let’s see what happens’ discretion is dead. Under post-April 2026 administrative practice, the Immigration Department has replaced narrative flexibility with an uncompromising high-expectation of ‘substantial’ contribution to the economy of Hong Kong. For independent business founders, securing […]

Can I Set Up A Hong Kong Company, Employ My Business Partner & Sponsor An Employment Visa For Him?

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

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: This piece explores the common strategy where one partner incorporates a company to hire their co-founder under an employment visa rather than an investment visa. While the advice historically warned that ImmD scrutinizes “new business situations” and checks whether the […]

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Lame Excuses Won’t Cut It If You’re Caught Working In Hong Kong Without An Employment Visa

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Feature Article, Investment Visas, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 2 responses

Caught Working in Hong Kong Without an Employment Visa? If you’re working in Hong Kong  (paid, unpaid or temporarily transferred in) but do not have an employment visa sponsored by your current employer you are breaking the law and could be subject to 3 years imprisonment and/or up to a HKD350,000 fine. The law is very […]

Can I Sponsor Myself For Freelance Work ‘On-the-Side’ Whilst Working For My Current Hong Kong Employment Visa Sponsor?

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

This is joining in a side business albeit in another name…and a solution for certain types of Hong Kong Employment Visa holders thinking about freelancing in Hong Kong PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: The advice regarding securing ImmD permission to “join in a side business” under Section […]

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How Will Your Employment Visa Application Be Impacted If The Hong Kong Company Employing You Is New?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Hadley Says…, Investment Visas / 3 responses

Where your proposed employer is a brand new company you can expect the Hong Kong Immigration Department to look very closely at the enterprise to make sure that it is in fact a suitable sponsor for your working visa permissions. In many ways, the due diligence which the Hong Kong ID undertake is very much […]

How to Successfully Apply For an Entrepreneur Visa in Hong Kong

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Feature Article, Investment Visas, Musing, VG Front Page / No responses

Successfully Apply For An Entrepreneur Visa In Hong Kong A comprehensive guide to successfully apply for an Entrepreneur Visa in Hong Kong, covering all aspects from business plan to financial projections. PRACTICE UPDATE: How to read in light of current ImmD policy: While this guide historically advises applicants that a standard two-year forecast, a general […]