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Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

Your Questions Answered

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)?

March 4th, 2026

Posted by / 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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Your Questions Answered

Can I Get A Hong Kong Investment Visa If I’m Presently An Employee Seeking To Go Into Business With A New Partner?

February 8th, 2026

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

What’s the differentiating line between a Hong Kong investment visa and an employment visa when investing in the company that is seeking to sponsor-employ you? QUESTION I’m from Australia and have been living and working, as a language teacher, in Hong Kong since  December 2014. I am currently starting up a business with a partner. […]

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Your Questions Answered

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

January 16th, 2026

Posted by / 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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Your Questions Answered

How Do You Prove To The Hong Kong Immigration Department That You Have Tried To Recruit Locally?

January 15th, 2026

Posted by / in Employment Visas, Your Question Answered / 1 response

Excellent question earlier this week. Great opportunity to slay a few sacred cows. QUESTION Hi, one of the requirements for the work visa application is a proof of genuine vacancy. What if a sponsoring company doesn’t do job ads? What can he present? He does recruit locally via his network since he is just a […]

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Musing

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

December 14th, 2025

Posted by / 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,” […]

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Your Questions Answered

I Want To Live In Hong Kong With My Boyfriend – Is The Working Holiday Visa A Viable Option?

May 7th, 2025

Posted by / in Special Programmes, Your Question Answered / 10 responses

Sometimes, the sun and the moon align beautifully on a set of circumstances to allow an unmarried couple to spend time together in Hong Kong when ordinarily visa circumstances conspire against them. Not on this occasion, however! QUESTION “Hi there, I have just recently returned from Hong Kong to Canada where I am a citizen. […]

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Musing

How To Apply For A Hong Kong Investment Visa Without Paying For Professional Help – 10 – The Catch 22

April 7th, 2025

Posted by / in Investment Visas, Musing / No responses

I have given this talk around town for the last couple of years now and so pleased to finally add it to our coverage of the Hong Kong investment visa. This segment speaks to the proverbial issue of having started your Hong Kong business before you have received the permission of the Hong Kong Immigration Department […]

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Musing

A Detailed Business Plan For Your Hong Kong Investment Visa? – Not Really…

April 3rd, 2025

Posted by / in Investment Visas, Musing, VG Front Page / 1 response

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: This article’s lighthearted reassurance that “HKID no more wants to read a 60-page business plan than you want to write one” must not be mistaken for administrative leniency regarding operational rigor. While ImmD still abhors fluff, case officers now enforce […]

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Hadley Says

Your Hong Kong Employment Visa – What Happens When You Lose Your Job?

April 2nd, 2025

Posted by / in Employment Visas, Hadley Says…, Investment Visas / 5 responses

If you have an employment visa and have stopped working for your sponsoring employer, no matter what the reason, you will not have to leave Hong Kong straight away. The HKID provide you with enough time to make arrangements to find an alternate employer or, if you prefer, to lay the groundwork to start your […]

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Hadley Says

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

December 23rd, 2024

Posted by / 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 […]

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