Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

How Can I Go From Being A Sponsored Hong Kong Employment Visa Holder To Working In My Own Business As I Wait Out The 7 Years To Permanent Residency Here?

Posted in Employment Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Your Question Answered /

If you leave your job and want to start your own business in Hong Kong, what are the immigration implications of this if you are a temporary resident foreign national employee? QUESTION Hi Stephen, I am in a bit of a pickle, I am currently waiting for my PR and I have a visa extension […]

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Can The Company You Have Just Left Contact Hong Kong Immigration And Make Your Visa Expire Immediately?

Posted in Employment Visas, Special Programmes, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Your Question Answered /

Contact Hong Kong Immigration and make your visa expire? This question comes up often enough for it to warrant another explanation of the arrangements which prevail (current ImmD practice)… QUESTION Dear Visa Geeza,  I’m under the impression that when you leave a company that has been sponsoring your employment visa or if you are fired, […]

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Can A Newly Qualified Foreign National Permanent Resident Of Hong Kong Automatically Secure PR For His Parents Too?

Posted in Long Stay & PR, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Your Question Answered /

So, just what immigration options for parents accrue to a foreign national holding a Hong Kong permanent identity card? QUESTION Hi there!  A foreign national became a permanent resident after many years study and work in Hong Kong. Now he wants to sponsor his parents holding Canadian passports to become a P.R. In Hong Kong […]

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

Posted in Employment Visas, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Your Question Answered /

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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Am I Compelled To Apply For Hong Kong Permanent Residency After 7 Years Or Can I Maintain The Status Quo Of My Present Employment Visa?

Posted in Employment Visas, Long Stay & PR, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Your Question Answered /

Once you have achieved 7 years continuous ordinary residence in Hong Kong, your long stay immigration options open up considerably… QUESTION My current working visa is due to expire at the end of  September, (previously I was given an extension of 3 years in 2010), this I assume was so that I would be valid for […]

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QOTW: Can I Get An Employment Visa Again If I Still Owe Taxes From The Last Time I Worked In Hong Kong?

Posted in Case Study, Employment Visas, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Your Question Answered /

What is the interplay between unpaid taxes and a Hong Kong employment visa application subsequently? QUESTION Hi, I worked in Hong Kong last year, 2013, and left the city mid year after my work terminated. When I left, my company filed a IR56G “leaving Hong Kong” tax form for me with the IRD. However, I […]

What Are The Obligations Of An Employer To A Prospective Employee When An Application For A Hong Kong Employment Visa Has Been Refused?

Posted in Employment Visas, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza /

Foreign nationals seeking to work in Hong Kong have a lot of stake in an employment visa application so when it doesn’t work out positively where does that leave their proposed relationship? QUESTION Hi, After the recruitment process in a multinational company in Hong Kong, they decided to employ me, so I signed the offer […]

Hong Kong Unconditional Stay – A Practical Guide (Business Immigration To Hong Kong)

Posted in Long Stay & PR, Musing, Resource, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza /

In this post, I talk about  the Hong Kong unconditional stay and when it might be useful to you. Hong Kong unconditional stay plays a lesser yet still important role in immigration status to acquire in the HKSAR today… On March 21, 2014 I gave a presentation at the Chinese Club entitled Business Immigration to Hong Kong – A […]

Can I Study Online For A UK Tertiary Qualification While Staying In Hong Kong With A Visitor Visa?

Posted in The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Visitor Visas, Your Question Answered /

This question gets to the heart of permitted activity as a Visitor and the ability to remain here on an indefinite basis on that status. QUESTION Hi, I am a New Zealander currently staying in Hong Kong with my partner who is a permanent HKID card holder. I do not have a HKID card, just […]

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The Twists And Turns Of An Unusual Hong Kong Permanent Residency Application

Posted in Case Study, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza /

Although this case study is based on a situation I was asked to provide guidance to many years ago, its content is still relevant today.   Our client was a French national with a wife and 5 year old daughter – all of them, French citizens. He had first arrived in Hong Kong in 2004 […]