As one of the major international business hubs in Asia, Hong Kong maintains its high receptivity and openness to different cultures, talents, and investors around the global world. Today, Hong Kong embraces about 170 countries in the world for visa-free visits while issuing several visas to those who want to stay longer in Hong Kong for work, school, investment, or other reasons. As different visas have different requirements, you, as an applicant, should have a clear understanding of the visit schemes before arrival.
Work Visa
Work Visa is also known as the “Employment Visa” in Hong Kong. Whether you are an employer that wishes to hire a foreign candidate or an overseas candidate looking to land for a job, this part of applying for a work visa is of paramount significance.
What Are the Basic Qualifications?
Generally speaking, the candidate is required to provide an employment offer from a legitimate employer to apply for a work visa. On top of that, the Hong Kong Immigration Department also assesses your educational background and/or a unique skill set and sees if you can bring a good impact to Hong Kong’s economy and society.
How Long Does It Take for Application to Process?
Under normal circumstances, your visa can take up to 4-6 weeks to arrive after submission of all the documents to the Hong Kong Immigration Department. Sometimes it may require a longer period subject to further inquiries from the Immigration Department.
Training Visa
A training visa is essentially a subcategory of work visas in Hong Kong for those who are to join a third-party training program or transfer to the firm’s Hong Kong branch for training.
Why Do I Need a Training Visa?
Normally, you would be required a training visa under certain conditions. For instance, you have already registered a training program that is organized by a valid Hong Kong institution, or you are transferring your employee to your corporate’s Hong Kong branch for a training program. You should also be noted that any training programs applicable for a visa should last for a period of 6 to 12 months and that they come with a detailed training scheme.
Entrepreneur / Investment Visa
Hong Kong’s Visa for Investment as Entrepreneur is specifically designed for those who wish to relocate to Hong Kong and start a new business on their own. This type of visa is initially issued for 1 year period of time and is further renewable.
Eligibility for Visa for Investment as Entrepreneur
There are certain criteria for applicants to fulfill to be eligible for the Visa for Investment as Entrepreneur. Precisely, you are required to a) be the owner of the business, b) provide a full business plan for the coming 2 years in Hong Kong, c) showcase the details of financial resources and backups, d) specify a total investment to be injected into the business, and e) demonstrate a clear organization structure and the plan of creating the local job(s).
Dependent Visa
The Dependent Visa in Hong Kong is applicable for immediate family members of permanent Hong Kong residents or foreign nationals who uphold a visa to stay in Hong Kong with either training, study, employment, or investment visa, where immediate family members are referred to spouses or unmarried children under 18 years old.
How Does It Work?
Each family member has to fill out an application form to get issued with a dependent visa. It is key that this family member must be sponsored by the principal visa holder. As both visas are tied together, the duration allowed for the dependent to stay/ work/ study would rely entirely upon the period issued for the principal visa holder to stay in Hong Kong.
Ask For Help!
If you are thinking about applying for any sort of Visa to stay in Hong Kong, we are always here to assist you. RedMountain Asia is a Hong Kong based company that is conversant with rules and regulations. As a team being in the services for over 20 years, we maintain a positive record that makes ourselves and our clients proud. Let’s talk, you can always rely on us.
(Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department)
