Hong Kong Visa & Immigration Topics

Considerably Heightened Diligence by ImmD on All Types of Hong Kong Visa Applications

Posted in Employment Visas, Family Visas, Investment Visas, Long Stay & PR, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Sherpa, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Visitor Visas /

Updated October 12, 2026.   Heightened ImmD Scrutiny ImmD shifted from a traditional “process and approve” paradigm to an aggressive compliance-and-audit model. This heightened diligence has been driven by several key factors: 1. Abuse of New Talent Schemes: Massive application volumes under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) and QMAS led to illicit intermediaries selling […]

Can I Study Then Get Married All Whilst Holding A Hong Kong Employment Visa Sponsored By A Company I No Longer Work For?

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

Life in Hong Kong throws up many new opportunities and this question seeks to understand the implications for 7 years continuous residency in respect of an eventual right of abode application where an overall switch over in life plans sees a lady intending to relinquish her employment visa for a student or dependant visa … […]

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Hong Kong Work Visa – Is 2 Years Post Graduation Work Experience An Absolute Prerequisite?

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

If you are a graduate is it hard and fast that you need at least 2 years post graduation working experience in a managerial or supervisory capacity in order to secure a Hong Kong work visa – or is there some wriggle room in this regard? QUESTION Hi there, I have heard in one of […]

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Can I Set Up A Hong Kong Company, Employ My Business Partner & Sponsor An Employment Visa For Him?

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

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: This piece explores the common strategy where one partner incorporates a company to hire their co-founder under an employment visa rather than an investment visa. While the advice historically warned that ImmD scrutinizes “new business situations” and checks whether the […]

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Lame Excuses Won’t Cut It If You’re Caught Working In Hong Kong Without An Employment Visa

Posted in Employment Visas, Feature Article, Investment Visas, Musing, Refusals & Appeals, Special Programmes, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza, Visitor Visas /

Caught Working in Hong Kong Without an Employment Visa? If you’re working in Hong Kong  (paid, unpaid or temporarily transferred in) but do not have an employment visa sponsored by your current employer you are breaking the law and could be subject to 3 years imprisonment and/or up to a HKD350,000 fine. The law is very […]

Can I Sponsor Myself For Freelance Work ‘On-the-Side’ Whilst Working For My Current Hong Kong Employment Visa Sponsor?

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

This is joining in a side business albeit in another name…and a solution for certain types of Hong Kong Employment Visa holders thinking about freelancing in Hong Kong PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy: The advice regarding securing ImmD permission to “join in a side business” under Section […]

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How Will Your Employment Visa Application Be Impacted If The Hong Kong Company Employing You Is New?

Posted in Employment Visas, Hadley Says…, Investment Visas, The Hong Kong Visa Geeza /

Where your proposed employer is a brand new company you can expect the Hong Kong Immigration Department to look very closely at the enterprise to make sure that it is in fact a suitable sponsor for your working visa permissions. In many ways, the due diligence which the Hong Kong ID undertake is very much […]

What Do The Immigration Department Look For When Establishing The Bona Fides Of A Hong Kong Employer As A Suitable AND Credible Sponsor Under The Immigration Arrangements For Non-local Graduates?

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

Can any old entity successfully sponsor an employment visa extension under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates? What qualifies a Hong Kong employer as a suitable and credible sponsor? PRACTICE UPDATE: How to read in light of current ImmD policy: While the historical case advisory in What Do The Immigration Department Look For When Establishing […]

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What Can I Do If My Employment Contract Ends On The Same Day As My Hong Kong Work Visa And I Need To Stay Here A While Longer To Sort Out My Affairs?

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

Employment law and immigration law are often overlapping but must be dealt with separately…this post talks about what can be done if someone’s employment contract ends on the same day as their Hong Kong work visa, but they need to stay in Hong Kong for a while longer to sort out their affairs. What can […]

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Can I Remain In Hong Kong As A Visitor After My Employment Visa Expires?

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

Simple question this one with an easy answer and indicative of the fact that, even though quite a straight forward issue, the information is not otherwise readily available anywhere else on the web. QUESTION I am a Canadian citizen, working in Hong Kong holding an employment visa for 7 weeks. I want to stay after […]

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