Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

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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Interview: In the Last 20 Years Which Type of Hong Kong Visa Has Been Most in Demand and the Easiest to Anticipate an Approval For?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 11 responses

First Published August 22, 2013 Which type of Hong Kong visa has been most in demand in the last 20 years and how easy has it been to get approval for this visa type? On June 6th, 2013 I was interviewed by five law students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong about my experiences […]

Interview: Do Mainlanders Typically Enjoy the Same Kind of Immigration Experience as Other Foreign Nationals Do in Hong Kong?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 19 responses

First Published July 24, 2013 On June 6th, 2013 I was interviewed by five law students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong about my experiences practicing immigration here over the last 20 years. We covered a great deal of ground in the 90 minutes we spent together and over the next few weeks I […]

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

First published March 6, 2019 and updated May 8, 2019. UPDATE:  8.5.2019 – ImmD are now routinely 2-3 weeks behind their normal case consideration time frames, even as late as May with the Summer Rush just around the corner to boot.  This is borne out by our own dealings with ImmD day-to-day and also the […]