Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

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 […]

Interview: We Have 20,000 Vacancies in the F+B Industry But We Don’t Have People to Fill These Jobs – What Are the Hong Kong Immigration Department Doing About It?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Musing / 8 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 […]

QOTW: Can I Expect to Get a Hong Kong Investment Visa if All of Our Work is Undertaken Outside of Hong Kong?

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

The question asked actually belies a bigger issue when it comes to getting a  business investment visa for Hong Kong… PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: Historically, this Question of the Week addressed a classic structuring query from an international services or cross-border trade entrepreneur: could an […]

Interview: Has Hong Kong’s Effort to Forge a Particular Social Fabric Through the Constructs of its Immigration Policy Been Successful Do You Think?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, Visitor Visas / 7 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 […]

How Can Hong Kong Technology Startups Improve Their Chances of Winning Investment Visa Approvals for Their Founders?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in 60 Second Snapshot, Employment Visas, Investment Visas / 1 response

So you’re now committed to getting your Startup off the ground here in Hong Kong… PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: This article’s examination of the conflict between “Lean Startup” methodology (bootstrapping, remote teams, sweat equity) and ImmD expectations has shifted from a cautionary note to […]

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

PRACTICE UPDATE 2026 How the Content Must Now Be Read in Light of the New CIES Policy Our original article addressed a frequent concern for internationally mobile investors: whether maintaining a CIES visa requires spending a mandatory minimum number of days per year in Hong Kong. The short answer remains legally unchanged—there is no statutory […]

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QOTW: Do I Really Need an Employment Visa if I Get 6 Months’ Visitor Status Upon Arrival & Intend to Work in Hong Kong for a Maximum of 2 Weeks?

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

Is it ever legal to work in Hong Kong – especially on a short term basis – with a Visitor Status – without the permission of the Director of Immigration? QUESTION I am a UK based one person limited company and have been asked by a major financial services company with a business based in […]

QOTW: How Can Same Sex Partners Establish Their Relationship Bona Fides to Secure a Hong Kong Prolonged Visitor Visa If They Have Never Been Able to Live Together Previously?

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

What do you do if you’ve been together seven years but geography has forced you to live apart… QUESTION OF THE WEEK I am not an expat. I am Chinese, born in Hong Kong. I have a same sex partner. We have been in a long distance relationship for 7 years.  She got denied entry […]

The Visa Geeza on RTHK Radio Three – January 2014

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

It had been nigh on three months since I last got to be grilled by Mr Whelan on Morning Brew over at RTHK so it was pleasing to make his acquaintance once again when I popped in to see him on Broadcast Drive a little earlier today. Phil was keen to talk about paper trails […]

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Interview: Is There a Threshold to Attaining a Hong Kong Work Visa Under the General Employment Policy?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Musing / 7 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 […]