Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

Do I Still Need a Hong Kong Working Visa if I’ve Been Placed on Gardening Leave?

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

You always need a Hong Kong working visa to take up employment in Hong Kong whether paid or unpaid. What about if you are serving out your notice period on gardening leave? (First Published June 4, 2015) QUESTION My friend resigned from his job with his Hong Kong employer in May and he was on […]

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Hong Kong Employment Visa Holder – Join in a Side Business or Change Visa Category to a Full Investment Visa – Which is Better?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 2 responses

 This question raises quite a number of issues surrounding a decision to go into business for yourself in Hong Kong whilst presently holding an employment visa sponsored by a third party employer (and it’s only the immigration parts which I am qualified to address). QUESTION Hello Stephen, I have an employment visa for the remaining […]

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Is it True that Getting Your First Hong Kong Employment Visa is the Hardest then Afterwards It’s a Cinch to Swap Over to Any Other Employer?

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

Is there are truth at all in this Hong Kong employment visa “proposition”? QUESTION I am a French national who has just moved to Hong Kong. I am finding it very difficult to understand the visa process in Hong Kong. My friend passed me your contact saying that you will surely be able to help […]

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Should I Change My Hong Kong Visa Category From Sponsored Employment to Business Investment or Seek Permission to Join in a Side Business Instead?

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

Change my Hong Kong visa? This question is less either / or from an immigration perspective but more an issue of full time entrepreneur or not… QUESTION Hi Stephen, I am currently already on an employment visa (valid for two more years) and would like to start my own company too. My current employer is […]

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Is There Any Fixed Residency Requirement for Retention of a Hong Kong Employment Visa?

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

First Published September 1, 2018 Not every stint for work or business means full time residency in Hong Kong so what to do about ‘half-timers’? QUESTION I am pursuing options to take up employment in Hong Kong and would like to know if there is any residence requirement for retention of a work visa. For […]

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Does the Hong Kong Employment Visa Change of Sponsorship Process Expressly Disclose to My New Employer the Reason For Me Leaving My Previous Job?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Your Question Answered / 3 responses

This an excellent question which has never come up in this fashion before so I’m delighted to provide the answer! First Published July 30, 2013 QUESTION I have just been made redundant by my Australian employer and my last day working in Hong Kong will be August 30, 2013. My visa permit period extends to […]

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Can I Use the Impending Expiry of My Hong Kong Work Visa as a Way to Force the Early Termination of My Employment Contract?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Your Question Answered / 4 responses

In the final analysis, this question is really about employment law which I am not qualified to answer (I’m an immigration guy). However, it does afford an opportunity for a discussion about extending an employment visa when there’s only the notice period remaining on a subsisting employment contract. QUESTION I am an Australian expat, currently […]

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Hong Kong Immigration… What Does It Mean… Administrative Flux?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 1 response

First Published September 6, 2016 Over the last 20 years or so I have coined a number of phrases in Hong Kong immigration parlance. In this short video I discuss the notion of Administrative Flux. More Stuff You May Find Useful or Interesting 10 Must Have resources for any Hong Kong investment visa application Is […]

Is There Such an Animal as a Hong Kong Employment Visa for an Independant Contractor?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 3 responses

Hong Kong Employment Visa for an Independant Contractor? The General Employment Policy anticipates that foreign national Professionals seeking to work in Hong Kong are subject to a formal employer-employee relationship. So what’s the situation if the employer wants to engage you as a contractor? Is it do-able? QUESTION Dear Stephen,  I got a working visa […]

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Has the Hong Kong Immigration Department Tightened Up On Applicants With Criminal Records Recently?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas, Your Question Answered / No responses

Update February 27, 2023 The question of criminal records and how they impact on Hong Kong visa applications keeps cropping up… QUESTION Hi, I have previously lived in Hong Kong, once as a student so obviously held a student visa and then a couple of years later working there so had an employment visa. I’m […]

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