Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

How Easy / Practical Is It to Swap Between a Prolonged Visitor Visa & Student Visa (or Employment Visa) in Hong Kong?

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

Same sex partners, married or otherwise, are just not treated equally when it comes to immigration in Hong Kong I’m afraid… QUESTION Dear Stephen, I will be transferred by my company from Holland to Hong Kong beginning of  August. My partner (we are getting married end of May, according to Holland civil union law for […]

Podcast: Play in new window

The Hong Kong Immigration Department Really Are Getting Tougher Across the Board Now…

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 3 responses

It has taken me 21 years to make this claim…  I have been practicing in Hong Kong immigration advisory matters since 1993. All down those years, I have been asked countless times “is Immigration getting harder?’ and unflinchingly I have answered ‘no’. It has always been my experience that if you have an approvable case […]

Do You Need to Spend a Minimum Number of Days Per Year in Hong Kong In Order to Maintain a Capital Investment Entrant Scheme Visa?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Your Question Answered / No responses

Does the rationale of the CIES dictate that you spend a certain amount of time in the HKSAR each year in order not to lose the status? QUESTION After grant of  a Capital Investment Entrant Scheme visa, say if you live overseas, how many days/weeks or months/year, will you have to prove you have stayed […]

Podcast: Play in new window

Interview: What’s Actually Involved in Getting a Hong Kong Investment Visa Approved?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Musing / 3 responses

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 will be posting the interview […]

I Have Technically Overstayed My Hong Kong Employment Visa by One Day But Have No Job – What Happens Now?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Musing, Visitor Visas / 1 response

Interesting and not at all unusual situation this one … how to deal with a technical overstay conundrum… QUESTION I have been living and working in Hong Kong for the past three years on a valid employment visa which has expired yesterday (2/11/2013). I finished my employment earlier in the month (I am not continuing […]

Podcast: Play in new window

Which is Better – Change of Hong Kong Employment Visa Sponsorship or Seeking to Swap Over to a QMAS Visa Instead?

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

If I had to choose between applying for a QMAS visa or otherwise seek to change my Hong Kong Employment Visa Sponsorship to carry on working in Hong Kong, I know what I’d do (hands down, no doubt about it) … QUESTION Hi, I have been in Hong Kong for the past 2 years under […]

Podcast: Play in new window

Are Such Facilities as Virtual Offices, Incubators, Serviced Offices & Co-working Spaces Deemed ‘Suitable Business Premises’ for the Purposes of a Hong Kong Business Investment Visa Application?

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

Hong Kong has an incredibly dynamic economy with the reality that the Hong Kong Immigration Department has recognized that entrepreneurs today have a wide variety of options in which to home their start up and early stage businesses. Consequently, incubators, serviced offices and co-working spaces are generally acceptable to the Immigration Department as early homes […]

How Can Presently Unemployed Investment Bankers Reorganize Their Careers in Order to Remain in Hong Kong?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in 60 Second Snapshot, Investment Visas, Special Programmes, VG Front Page / 5 responses

These are trying times for investment bankers with the global financial crisis continuing to lead to career uncertainties for these professionals with seemingly no end sight. Many such bankers are here in Hong Kong on employment visas sponsored by their last investment bank employer. If you, as many indeed have, been laid off – what […]

Will Redundancy Impact Your Eligibility for the Right of Abode in Hong Kong?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Your Question Answered / 8 responses

QUESTION Hi there, you provide a very helpful advice service, so thank you for that!  I have a few questions which I would like your advice on: 1. I have 1.5 years left towards my Right of Abode in Hong Kong application (been working in Hong Kong 5.5 years), but was recently laid off. Still […]

Podcast: Play in new window

Hong Kong Investment Visa Processing Times – Current Residents Much, Much (Much!) Faster Than Non Residents

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Musing / 3 responses

Something quite amazing happened earlier this week. Here follows the story… We submitted a change of category application for a current Hong Kong foreign national resident (sponsored employment to business investment) via the residents section on the 5th floor of Immigration Tower on February 6th. We did what we normally do, the client was well […]