Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

What Happens to My Girlfriend’s Hong Kong Employment Visa if She Quits Her Job and We Get Engaged – Can She Carry on Working on the Strength of Our Relationship?

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

Does being formally engaged to be married to a Hong Kong Permanent Resident materially impact the work permissions available to an employment visa holding fiance? QUESTION I am a permanent resident of Hong Kong working here and I met my girlfriend who is currently employed and on a working visa. However she no longer wants to […]

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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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I am an Independent Contractor Not an Employee – Can I Get an Employment Visa as an Intercompany Transferee?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 4 responses

Sometimes, round-pegs-in-square-holes situations crop up which make the challenge of securing a Hong Kong employment visa especially daunting! This question raises a very interesting set of circumstances which make for an interesting visa application experience ahead! QUESTION “I have been working for the same group of companies for the last 7 years. We have operations […]

Hong Kong Business Investment Visas – the Catch 22 for Foreign National Entrepreneurs

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

  There are 2 pathways you can follow to apply for a business investment visa for Hong Kong. 1. You can be in Hong Kong as either as resident or a visitor seeking to adjust your immigration status to join in an existing, or establish a new, business; or 2. You can apply prospectively for […]

Can I Employ Myself by Getting a Hong Kong Business Investment Visa?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 13 responses

This is a typical question about what is really a Hong Kong business investment visa application – but most often people don’t know, understandably enough, how to couch it… First Published April 21, 2012   QUESTION “Hello, I’m interested in getting HK residence permit (working visa). Please advise what’s the easiest, fastest and cheapest way […]

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 […]

Can You Freelance or Start Your Own Business Under a Hong Kong Working Holiday Visa?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Special Programmes, Your Question Answered / 5 responses

Can you freelance or start your own business under a Hong Kong working holiday visa? The working holiday visa for Hong Kong is designed for certain types of employment activity – but does this include freelance work or starting or your own business? QUESTION Hi I have recently moved to Hong Kong with my partner […]

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The Challenge of Visa Approvability for Freelance Writers & Reporters in Hong Kong

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 4 responses

Freelancers in Hong Kong are often faced with a round-pegs-in-square-holes visa situation that is not easily resolved. This post attempts to deal with the challenge of visa approvability for these people and shed some light on what is actually do-able from an immigration perspective. QUESTION I am currently a full-time reporter in Hong Kong, I […]

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How Can an Overseas Company Temporarily Sponsor Hong Kong Employment Visa Permissions?

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

A frequently experienced conundrum. How can a foreign company temporarily sponsor Hong Kong employment visa permissions for its employees and contractors who need to work here in pursuit of a commercial arrangement which is of an indefinite or fixed duration here? QUESTION How can one visit and deliver short-term (typically 1-5 days duration) training courses […]

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What Compliance Obligations Do I Have if I Hold a Hong Kong Employment Visa and Want to Start Freelancing After I Stop Working for My Employer-Sponsor?

Posted by The Visa Geeza / in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Your Question Answered / 1 response

I hold a Hong Kong employment visa and want to start freelancing…   As a foreign national temporarily resident in Hong Kong on a sponsored employment visa, there are a number of different compliance issues that need to be addressed if you lose your job and you fancy embarking down the path of freelancing on […]

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