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On December 10, 2015 I gave a talk at Centre O Connect in Sheung wan setting out the nitty gritty of the Hong Kong entrepreneur visa since the implementation of the Enhancement Measures on May 6, 2015.

PRACTICE UPDATE: How to read in light of current ImmD policy:

• Historical Editorial Standard: In this concluding segment of the Centre O seminar series, the Geeza empowers prospective founders to take full ownership of their application and execute a DIY submission without paying professional agency fees. The historical presentation reassures attendees that navigating the GEP Investment as Entrepreneur route is fundamentally about clarity, transparency, and personal commitment: by gathering the requisite forms, articulating their business concept honestly, submitting reasonable financial projections, and leveraging free online templates, any capable, articulate founder could successfully guide an application through ImmD’s discretionary evaluation process on a lean budget.

• Comparative Reading Under the Upgraded Regime: The reassuring message that any resourceful, boot-strapping founder can assemble a successful DIY submission using standard online templates must now carry a severe, upfront qualification. Self-filing without professional assistance is no longer a simple exercise in assembling forms and articulating commercial passion; it has become an unforgiving institutional compliance audit. Under ImmD’s post-April 2026 enforcement regime aligned with TTPS Category A operational standards (~HKD 2.5M enterprise scale), a DIY dossier that relies on high-level narratives, personal offshore bank statements, or serviced office memberships will trigger immediate administrative requisitions and swift refusal. Today, an applicant can only safely undertake a DIY filing if their business is already established as a fully capitalized, operational entity capable of presenting hard, documentary proof across the board:

  1. Documented Capital Deployment: Showing HKD 1.5M to HKD 2.0M in cleared, unencumbered liquidity already residing in a functional Hong Kong corporate bank account (audited bank statements and capital transfer vouchers).

  2. Dedicated Physical Tenancy (“Four Walls”): Providing an executed commercial lease for exclusive physical premises, stamped by the Inland Revenue Department, complete with utility bills and photographic evidence of corporate signage.

  3. Immediate Local Headcount: Submitting executed employment contracts, identity documentation, and MPF remittance statements proving that 2 to 3 local Hong Kong permanent residents are actively on payroll at the time of adjudication.

  4. Defensible Three-Year Financials: An audited operational horizon grounded in verifiable domestic business ties.

For any DIY applicant who cannot assemble this capital and operational footprint upfront, the advice must no longer be “give it a go yourself”—they must be directed to avoid the standard GEP Entrepreneur route altogether and instead secure entry via a recognized government incubation scheme (e.g., Cyberport or HKSTP) before lodging their application.

This 8th (and final) segment of the talk sets out all the resources available on our websites that you will need to undertake a successful application for this type of visa without needing to pay for any professional help. Here, also, are the 10 Must Have Resources discussed in the talk, along with a synopsis of the various accredited programmes found here.

More In This Series

Introduction

How Did We Get Here?

Startup vs. Entrepreneur

Getting Approved

The Question of Money

Passing the Approvability Test

Improve Your Chances

D-I-Y Application

Other Relevant Content

How To Apply for a Hong Kong Business Investment Visa Without Any Professional Help

Hong Kong Entrepreneur Visa (Business Investment) – A Practical Guide

Is the Hong Kong Startup Visa All That It’s Cracked Up to Be?

Hong Kong Visa Handbook – The Entrepreneur Visa