Browse Our Most Recent Content (& Beyond)

Being a Chinese national resident on the Mainland makes it difficult to relocate to Hong Kong… QUESTION I’m a British and Australian citizen (dual nationality) living in Australia and I have a mainland Chinese girlfriend, presently living in China. We wish to move to Hong Kong to live together and I want to start a […] Keep Reading...>

July 25th, 2024

What is the deal if you help out a charity on a volunteer basis whilst holding a visitor visa in Hong Kong? Volunteer work for a charity based overseas but also operating in HK? QUESTION Hi Visa Geeza, I am  Canadian and I first came to Hong Kong on April under a 3 month training […] Keep Reading...>

July 24th, 2024

The question of immigration status for mainland resident spouses of current or aspiring Hong Kong residents is a bit of a hot potato. As this PodCast answer sets out, there is a dual track system in place in the immigration system which makes for winners and losers – and for once, those with the Right […] Keep Reading...>

July 23rd, 2024

Business visit to Hong Kong? With Hong Kong having such a liberal visa-upon-arrival regime (with more than 160 nationalities being granted permission to visit for between 7 and 180 days – depending on which passport you carry), it is understandable that there is confusion as to what is permitted activity if you are a ‘business […] Keep Reading...>

July 22nd, 2024

It happens a lot more often that you might imagine. You’d think that the many early years in Hong Kong ought to count towards your right of abode but all too often disappointment is in the offing… QUESTION Thank you very much for this informative website! I hope you’ll be able to answer my question, […] Keep Reading...>

July 18th, 2024

Hong Kong visas for aged parents – the options for long stay visas for elderly parents of non-permanent residents here are quite limited… First Published October 8, 2013 – Still of Interest Today QUESTION Hi, I’m married (Singaporean) and working for a major financial institution here in Hong Kong right now. I have a working visa. […] Keep Reading...>

July 17th, 2024

Is the Right of Abode in Hong Kong passed along to the spouse of a permanent resident such that is claimable after the death of your PR holding husband..? First Published November 20 2013 – Still of Interest Today QUESTION This query is for  my cousin who is an adult. She was born in Pakistan and […] Keep Reading...>

July 16th, 2024

It’s only natural to wish to iron out all the immigration wrinkles prior to a relocation to Hong Kong when you’re joining your loved one who’s transferring here. This question provides a great opportunity for a discussion of the various options available in terms of a Hong Kong Visa QUESTION I have been offered a […] Keep Reading...>

July 12th, 2024

The Hong Kong Immigration Department offer ‘liberalised’ immigration arrangements for foreign nationals and mainland students who graduate from Hong Kong tertiary education institutes (“IANG”). If you have a job in Hong Kong one year after graduation, then the extension process is all but a rubber stamping exercise. But what if you wish to start a […] Keep Reading...>

July 10th, 2024

Is there a ‘minimum waiting time’ between a rejected Hong Kong employment visa application and  then ‘trying again’? QUESTION I have a visa question, I got an offer from a recruitment company in July, they applied the working visa for me, but it got rejected by the end of August. Now I have a new offer […] Keep Reading...>

July 9th, 2024

It’s important to undertake one application at a time en route to your eventual right of abode in Hong Kong… QUESTION Hi. I need to extend my IANG visa by the end of July. As of the second week in September I will have been in Hong Kong for 7 years, thus eligible for permanent […] Keep Reading...>

July 5th, 2024

Mainland Travel Permits for Non Chinese PRs China Introduces 5-Year Mainland Travel Permit for Foreign Permanent Residents of Hong Kong and Macau Unless you’re a PR of Hong Kong and have been living under a rock this last week, you will no doubt have caught the buzz around Hong Kong at the moment about visa-free […] Keep Reading...>

July 4th, 2024

The Hong Kong Immigration Department are not especially receptive to what can appear to be family reunion via the back door… Can you use the Foreign Domestic Helper visa to employ your mother in Hong Kong? QUESTION Hello, My wife and I are on work visas in Hong Kong and are expecting a baby in […] Keep Reading...>

July 3rd, 2024

Can you swap a Foreign Domestic Helper visa into a Regular employment visa? This is a reasonable question that has an obvious answer although not for the reasons you might typically expect. In 20 years of practising Hong Kong visa and immigration consultancy, the only successful change of status application from FDH to residence visa […] Keep Reading...>

July 2nd, 2024

More than 20 years in the business of Hong Kong immigration and this is the first time I can remember this question ever being raised. So, now you know how to go about HIV Health Checks Hong Kong Visa Application! QUESTION Hi Stephen, I do not see this issue addressed on your web site (which, […] Keep Reading...>

July 1st, 2024

What’s the Best Hong Kong Visa Option for a Recently Graduated British National?   QUESTION Hi Stephen, From  May through November 2013 I was employed in a well known and large company in Hong Kong under the training visa for a period of 6 months. During the end of this tenure the company decided to […] Keep Reading...>

June 24th, 2024

What’s the story where a new company in Hong Kong has not yet set up shop in the HKSAR but want to hire staff? What do the Immigration Department make if this situation when it comes to visa sponsorship for foreign employees?   QUESTION Hello Visa Geeza, Thanks in advance! Your website has brought clarity […] Keep Reading...>

June 20th, 2024

How is the Shenzhen Shuttle impacted where there is a history of long stay visits in Hong Kong combined with multiple employment visa refusals? QUESTION Hi, I have been in Hong Kong for 2 years as a Visitor and my work visa application was denied for the second time a couple of weeks ago. My […] Keep Reading...>

June 17th, 2024

Simple question this one with an easy answer and indicative of the fact that, even though quite a straight forward issue, the information is not otherwise readily available anywhere else on the web. QUESTION I am a Canadian citizen, working in Hong Kong holding an employment visa for 7 weeks. I want to stay after […] Keep Reading...>

June 13th, 2024

Foreign national employment visa holders in Hong Kong are quite often interested in setting up a side business… QUESTION I am currently employed full-time by a company in Hong Kong. They successfully sponsored my Hong Kong employment visa and I just started my job 2 months ago. All is going very well. But I would like […] Keep Reading...>

June 12th, 2024

Life can get a bit complicated if you work in 2 places at the same time… QUESTION I work for a Hong Kong company in Macau and my wife is my dependent in Hong Kong where we live. My colleague was the same but has now been employed by a Macau company. Does this change […] Keep Reading...>

June 11th, 2024

Does time spent ‘between’ residence impact on your eligibility for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong after 7 years ? QUESTION I am a Canadian citizen living and working in Hong Kong for the last 4 years. My employment has ended and I have not yet been able to obtain a new offer of employment […] Keep Reading...>

June 10th, 2024

So, if you plan to leave your job a few weeks before your 7 year anniversary how will this impact on your application for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong? QUESTION I‘m Australian, and have an employment visa in Hong Kong currently, but I wish to resign from my present job. Having said that, I might […] Keep Reading...>

June 7th, 2024

A relatively straightforward answer to, what can be, quite a complex question dealing with ‘Hong-Kong-immigration status-by-descent’ and, eventually, the Right of Abode for foreign nationals born in the HKSAR. QUESTION I was born in Hong Kong  (I am a British passport holder and of British parents). I do not have ***. My daughter was born […] Keep Reading...>

June 6th, 2024

How is an application for Hong Kong PR (permanent residency or the right of abode) impacted as a result of non-criminal litigation and Court sanctions? QUESTION My partner and I run a company (LTD) in Hong Kong. We’ve been a bit behind on our bills and most likely the company will be taken to court […] Keep Reading...>

June 5th, 2024

Simple enough of a question – will your Hong Kong work visa be compromised if you are forced into bankruptcy while temporarily resident in the HKSAR? QUESTION If I am currently a working visa holder in Hong Kong, how will my visa be affected if I go bankrupt? Will the Immigration Department tell me to […] Keep Reading...>

June 4th, 2024

You know how it is… you arrive in Hong Kong for a year of fun and adventure and then you want to stay… This article deals with the transfer from a Hong Kong Working Holiday Visa to a full Employment Visa. QUESTION Hi there! I’m an Australian citizen in Hong Kong, working under a working holiday visa […] Keep Reading...>

June 3rd, 2024

This post deals with the requirements for getting permanent residency in Hong Kong The modern, connected economy throws up myriad ways for people to organize their lives and business affairs and, as can be seen from this great question, how might ImmD respond to an application for the Right of Abode where an internet entrepreneur […] Keep Reading...>

May 30th, 2024

This post deals with the options for a Hong Kong Work Visa Holder who owns shares in a company but also intends to get enrolled in a full-time Masters Degree Programme Hong Kong being the dynamic ‘all-things-to-all-people’ type of place it is, oftentimes, certain life circumstances here throw up immigration challenges that need to be […] Keep Reading...>

May 29th, 2024

Life in Hong Kong throws up many new opportunities and this question seeks to understand the implications for 7 years continuous residency in respect of an eventual right of abode application where an overall switch over in life plans sees a lady intending to relinquish her employment visa for a student or dependant visa … […] Keep Reading...>

May 28th, 2024

This is a sad situation for a couple who find themselves in a maelstrom of immigration difficulties caused by a less than sensible choice some time previously. QUESTION I am a permanent resident in Hong Kong and am planning to marry my girlfriend. My girlfriend is in detention prior to removal. She’s from the Philippines. […] Keep Reading...>

May 27th, 2024

In this short piece I discuss how the Hong Kong Immigration Department assess the bona fides of a sponsor seeking Hong Kong dependant visa permissions for his/her family to join him/her in the HKSAR. Over the last 20 years or so I have coined a number of phrases in Hong Kong immigration parlance. ‘Roof-Over-Head-Food-On-Table’ describes […] Keep Reading...>

May 24th, 2024

This situation occurs quite a lot especially for those employees who were originally summer hires and are on back to back employment contracts matching the validity of their limits of stay. QUESTION I am a Canadian currently employed in Hong Kong and have a work visa. If I plan to be absent on leave in […] Keep Reading...>

May 22nd, 2024

Circumstances sometimes conspire against foreign national residents here who find themselves in a quandary as to whether or not their continuous ordinary residence here has been broken due to decisions made (voluntary or otherwise) earlier on in their lives in Hong Kong. In this situation, will an application for the Right of Abode fail? QUESTION […] Keep Reading...>

May 17th, 2024

To what extend the salary can be replaced with performance-based equity compensation in case of a Hong Kong employment visa? No one has asked me this type of question about compensation for employees for about 17 years now so I’m grateful to the questioner for raising it as she did. QUESTION I have successfully registered […] Keep Reading...>

May 16th, 2024

Hong Kong is a small place with borders on our doorstep so how much time do you need to be physically in Hong Kong to retain your Hong Kong investment visa? QUESTION I would like to know, if I am able to hold a visa in Hong Kong, then what is the minimum time per […] Keep Reading...>

May 15th, 2024

A frequently experienced conundrum: How can a foreign company temporarily sponsor Hong Kong employment visa permissions for its employees and contractors who need to work here in pursuit of a commercial arrangement which is of an indefinite or fixed duration here? QUESTION How can one visit and deliver short-term (typically 1-5 days duration) training courses in […] Keep Reading...>

May 13th, 2024

The issue of fiances prior to marriage and how the Hong Kong Immigration Department treat them is often confused so I was happy to receive this question recently. So, how are fiance’s prior to marriage treated by the Hong Kong Immigration Department? QUESTION My fiancé is a Philippine resident working in Hong Kong for the […] Keep Reading...>

May 10th, 2024

Overstayed in Hong Kong for a very long time previously…? Great question this, not so much because the answer is mostly quite obvious, but because it gives me a chance to have a discussion about overstaying generally. QUESTION I was looking for a male helper and found a suitable one for our family. However, he […] Keep Reading...>

May 9th, 2024

An excellent question on the Right of Abode came in just now. Raises a really interesting point of professional practice the likes of which very rarely present themselves these days. QUESTION I have recently been declined Permanent Residency status from HK Immigration, but believe I have grounds to appeal, and would like your advice.  I […] Keep Reading...>

May 8th, 2024

This is the question most often asked of my profession really… QUESTION Hello, I was a sponsored by my uncle’s company for 2 years then we had an argument and I left. Now I’m holding a visitor visa. For 6 months I’ve sent my resume to more employers than I can count but when it […] Keep Reading...>

May 7th, 2024

Whilst the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates afford a clean pathway to working permission for foreign nationals freshly graduating from Hong Kong universities, the situation is very different if your degree is from overseas and you’re seeking to work in the HKSAR straight after university. QUESTION Hi Stephen, I would like to ask, I’m a […] Keep Reading...>

May 6th, 2024

Permitted activity under the Visitor visa category seems to be something of a grey area and in the final analysis it all boils down to the attitude of the Immigration Department for a breach of conditions of stay. However, some activities are self-evidently ‘employment‘ in nature and the answer to this questions addresses it squarely. […] Keep Reading...>

May 5th, 2024

Can you be both settled in Hong Kong, have taken the HKSAR as your only place of residence, yet go and work overseas all at the same time? QUESTION Thank you so much for your wonderfully informative website. I have a question about the timing of starting a new job working for a non-HK employer […] Keep Reading...>

May 4th, 2024

Children born in Hong Kong to a Hong Kong permanent resident have their eligibility for permanent identity cards established at birth. But what if the child is born to a Hong Kong permanent resident not married to its mother and where the child was born outside of Hong Kong? QUESTION First, many thanks for your […] Keep Reading...>

May 3rd, 2024

Can any old entity successfully sponsor an employment visa extension under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates? What qualifies a Hong Kong employer as a suitable and credible sponsor? QUESTION I am currently in Hong Kong on IANG Visa. My company would need to help me to sponsor the IANG visa once my limit of […] Keep Reading...>

May 2nd, 2024

What happens to a Hong Kong resident dependant visa holder sponsored by a parent holding a visa issued under the Admission of Mainland Talents & Professionals Scheme where the parent is unlikely to remain in Hong Kong – but the dependant wants to stay? QUESTION I am currently holding a dependent visa of which my […] Keep Reading...>

May 1st, 2024

If you hold a Hong Kong employment visa, bringing elderly parents to join you in Hong Kong is an area of immigration practice that is fraught with difficulty – as well as uncertainty. Dependant visas are, as a matter of policy, not available for non permanent residents yet it’s a scenario that presents itself all […] Keep Reading...>

April 30th, 2024

To live in Hong Kong requires a place to lay your head here each night. What happens to your application for dependant visas for your family if you don’t have anywhere for them to live? QUESTION I have held a Hong Kong employment visa for the last 3 years.  But most of the time I […] Keep Reading...>

April 29th, 2024

When would unconditional stay be an appropriate Hong Kong immigration status as opposed to the right of abode and, in any event, what’s the difference? QUESTION We’re considering to apply for a business investment visa, but we don’t really intend to live in Hong Kong in the near future. If our application gets approved, we’ll […] Keep Reading...>

April 28th, 2024

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