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Hawksford supports businesses and their families with Hong Kong and Mainland China applications for visas and residence status.
Hong Kong has a special migration visa scheme called Entry for Investment for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to relocate to operate their own business in Hong Kong. This entrepreneur visa scheme is essentially a type of work permit that is issued to the owner of a business as an employee of his/her Hong Kong company.
One of the main criteria for grant of the entrepreneur visa lies in whether you are able to prove that your business will make a significant contribution to the economy of Hong Kong. You are allowed to bring your spouse and unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 to Hong Kong under this scheme. You are also eligible to apply for Hong Kong permanent residence in due course. The entrepreneur visa is generally issued for one-year period initially and is renewable thereafter as long as your business remains viable.
This article serves as a guide on the eligibility criteria, application procedure and timeline, documentation required and other related information on applying for entrepreneur visa (to establish/join in business) in Hong Kong. To learn about available Hong Kong visa schemes, refer to Guide to Hong Kong Visas.
There is no minimum investment requirement specified by the authorities when applying for the entrepreneur visa. However at the time of processing your application, the authorities will closely examine your proposed business plan to assess if your proposed investment is sufficient for the business you plan to set up. In this regard, you must ensure that your proposed investment covers the start up and operational expenses of your business for at least the initial 3-6 month period.
Entrepreneur visa application must be sponsored by a local sponsor – a company or an individual. The sponsor takes the onus of assuming responsibility for your repatriation, if the circumstances so arise. To apply for entrepreneur visa in Hong Kong, the following documents are required:
All documents submitted must be in English or Chinese or translated into English or Chinese by a certified translation body. The Immigration authorities reserve the right to demand further documents from the applicant or sponsor as and when necessary.
Hawksford supports businesses and their families with Hong Kong and Mainland China applications for visas and residence status.
As mentioned above, you must submit a 2-year business plan as part of your entrepreneur visa application. A good business plan is one of the most crucial aspects in the approval of entrepreneur visa application. You must convince the authorities by enclosing adequate information and proof that your business will benefit the economy of Hong Kong. Your investment plan will be scrutinised and the following factors will be taken into account by the authorities:
Taking the above factors into consideration, you are strongly advised to pay great attention and detail to the points highlighted above while filling in your application form. A loosely structured business plan which meets the bare minimum requirements faces a greater chance of rejection by the authorities than a strong investment plan that reflects your commitment to the business and the economy of Hong Kong as a whole.
It is normally advisable to hire the services of a professional firm to handle your entrepreneur visa application. The reasons are as follows:
If you have been granted an entrepreneur visa and you have resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of at least seven years, you are eligible to apply for Permanent Residence, commonly referred to as “Right of Abode” in Hong Kong.
Hawksford supports businesses and their families with Hong Kong and Mainland China applications for visas and residence status.
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