Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

Can You Remain In Hong Kong Under An Employment Visa Sponsored By An Ex-Employer & Run A Hong Kong Sole Proprietorship Providing Services Outside Of Hong Kong (Mostly)?

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

Remain in Hong Kong under an Employment Visa sponsored by an ex-Employer? Unusual set of facts in this case and a question never posed to me in this fashion previously… PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: This warning against attempting to retain residence via a defunct […]

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Will Performance-Based Equity Compensation Suffice Instead Of A Cash Salary For A Hong Kong Employment Visa?

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

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 […]

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How Easy (Or Hard) Is It For A Second Foreign National Business Partner To Get A Hong Kong Investment Visa For An Unprofitable Company?

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

PRACTICE UPDATE: How to read in light of current ImmD policy: Where this guidance previously suggested that struggling, pre-profit, or turnaround entities could sponsor an incoming partner by simply demonstrating turnover, an operational space, and a credible forward-looking plan for downstream growth, it must now be read with extreme caution. Under ImmD’s alignment with TTPS […]

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Does The Hong Kong Immigration Department Positively Consider Family Reunion As A Factor To Employment Visa Grant?

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

Employment visa grant? What do the Hong Kong Immigration Department take into account exactly when considering an application for an employment visa where the applicant has recently divorced from a Hong Kong resident? QUESTION I have been in Hong Kong for two years and have recently divorced.  I have care and custody of our two […]

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QOTW: Can I Get A Hong Kong Work Visa With No Degree?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Musing / No responses

An old chestnut this question which comes up time and time again about getting a Hong Kong work visa with no degree – albeit this time in the context of a technical apprenticeship undertaken straight out of senior high school. QUESTION  OF  THE  WEEK I moved to Hong Kong from France one month ago. I […]

Hong Kong Employment Visa Self-Sponsorship – The Reality For Entrepreneurs Masquerading As Employees

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Musing / 6 responses

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: This warning against attempting to bypass the investment visa test by setting up a company, owning shares, and applying for an employment visa as a “self-sponsored employee” carries far heavier consequences today. Historically, ImmD would simply “pierce the corporate veil,” […]

The 7 Things Your Employer Needs To Know About The Immigration Process When Applying For A Hong Kong Employment Visa

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Musing / 6 responses

Applying for a Hong Kong Employment Visa? You’ve been offered a job in Hong Kong and you need an employment visa. But your new employer has no experience about the process, so what do you need to tell them? 1. Firstly, there’s the approvability test – namely – you need to possess special skills, knowledge […]

A Harsh Decision – Why The Hong Kong Immigration Department Will Not Give My Client A Prolonged Visitor Visa

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Family Visas, Musing, Visitor Visas / 7 responses

Exploring the Reasons Behind Prolonged Visitor Visa Denials for Non-Traditional Couples by the Hong Kong Immigration Department I’ve written lots and lots previously about same sex partner visa applications for Hong Kong. To recap, same sex partners who are in a loving committed life partner relationship and who have cohabited previously prior to their relocation […]

What Do Both Hong Kong Employment & Investment Visa Applications Share In Common?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Hadley Says…, Investment Visas / 15 responses

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: Historically, this explainer examined the shared legal DNA between General Employment Policy (GEP) employment and investment visas, emphasizing their common statutory roots under Section 11 of the Immigration Ordinance. Both routes were presented as flexible, narrative-driven exercises governed by administrative […]

Why Do The Immigration Department Prefer A Limited Liability Company To Underpin A Hong Kong Investment Visa Application?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Hadley Says…, Investment Visas / 4 responses

This post deals with the reasons why the Immigration Department favors limited liability companies in the process of Hong Kong investment visa applications. PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: Historically, this advisory explained why ImmD favored a private limited liability company over sole proprietorships or partnerships […]