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On August 11, 2015 I gave a presentation discussing the so-called Hong Kong Startup visa that everyone is getting so excited about.

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy:

This piece’s deconstruction of the systemic dilemma facing early-stage founders—where one cannot lawfully operate without a visa, yet ImmD demands evidence of a functioning business—must be completely rewritten in light of the post-April 2026 enforcement standards. Historically, the Geeza advised resolving this Catch-22 by filing right at the outset of commercial activity on the strength of a forward-looking two-year plan. Today, filing early with an asset-light or unmobilized venture guarantees summary refusal. The Catch-22 must now be navigated either by establishing full corporate infrastructure prior to entry clearance (deploying HKD 1.5M–2.0M and onboarding local staff via local resident directors/managers) or by securing admission into a recognized government incubation scheme (such as Cyberport or HKSTP), which serves as the sole administrative safe harbor for seed-stage startups.

In this segment at o Connect in Sheung Wan, I discuss the conundrum known as the Catch 22 in the Hong Kong Kong Startup visa arrangements.

The Rest of the Series

1 – Introduction

2 – Policy

3 – Got A Visa Problem?

4 – Just Visiting

5 –  Job Offer Work Visa

6 – Entrepreneur Visa

7 – Getting One

8 – Catch 22

9 – Loved Ones

10 – Ticking the Box

11 – D-I-Y Startup Visa

GET STARTED ON YOUR APPLICATION HERE

You can download the slides from this presentation along with a 13 page Accelerator programme crib sheet here.