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Work Visa Hong Kong

Work Visa Hong Kong

work visa for Hong Kong is issued according to the General Employment Policy and it applies to those professionals who have the experience in fields where workforce is not readily available in the Special Administrative Region. The policy does not apply to Mainland China residence not to nationals from other countries, according to law.

The eligibility for a work visa is evaluated based on several criteria that have to do with the applicant’s educational background, the availability of a job vacancy as well as the remuneration package. Our team of lawyers in Hong Kong briefly describes the criteria in the article and can guide interested foreign nationals in more details, following an initial assessment.

The work visa for Hong Kong can be issued both to professionals who seek employment as well as for those who wish to engage in entrepreneurial work in HKSKAR.

Eligibility criteria under the General Employment Policy 

Individuals who wish to enter Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and remain for employment purposes are required to comply with the requirements set forth under the General Employment Policy (GEP). The work visa for Hong Kong is issued based on a relationship between an employer and a candidate employee and it does not depend on business sectors (it is not sector-specific).

Our lawyers in Hong Kong describe the main eligibility criteria below:

  1. the applicant’s record: the applicant’s criminal record is an accepted one (no serious crime) and there is no security objection;
  2. education: the applicant needs to prove that he/she has relevant educational background, such as a relevant first degree in the field; in some cases, good technical qualifications suffice (with reliable work experience as proof);
  3. job vacancy: the work visa in Hong Kong is issued if there is a genuine job vacancy in HKSAR;
  4. confirmed acceptance: the applicant has had its employment confirmed by the company and the position cannot be readily occupied by local workforce;
  5. remuneration: the employment package is in accordance with the standards applicable in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Our attorneys can provide more details about any of these eligibility criteria for the work visa in Hong Kong, as needed.

The general employment policy also offers options for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to establish their own business or join an already existing business in Hong Kong. Some of the requirements include having good educational background or proved professional experience as well as meeting the criteria for the business to be able to make a notable contribution to Hong Kong’s economy. The business plan, the investment amount, the business turnover, financial resources and the introduction of new technology or skills are also taken into consideration. 

Individuals who are admitted under the general employment policy can bring their spouse or their opposite-sex/same-sex partner to a civil partnership or a civil union as well as his/her unmarried, dependent children to Hong Kong. This applies under the dependant policy and the attorneys specialize din immigration at our law firm in Hong Kong can give you more details. 

In most cases, a work visa for Hong Kong is processed in four weeks from the receipt of all the required documents. Our team provide complete assistance for submissions with the Immigration Department

Our services include those required for visa or entry permit applications, as well as those for permanent residency applications or passport applications. We also guide foreign nationals who wish to register for a Hong Kong identity card or those who have lost or destroyed their card and need to replace it. Our team of Hong Kong immigration lawyers can also answer questions for Chinese citizens who are subject to different conditions in many situations.

Please keep in mind that the information presented herein is intended for informational purposes. Should you require personalized legal assistance for immigration matters, such as applying for a work visa, please reach out to the experts at our law firm in Hong Kong

The Immigration Department keeps statistics on the various types of visas and permits that are issued each year. The number of employment and investment visas issued in 2019 was 41,289. Other data, presented below by our lawyers, shows the following:

  • 1,119: the number of work visas for Hong Kong issued during Jan-Jun 2020 for the Commerce and Trade sector under the GEP;
  • 1,295: the total visas were issued under the general employment scheme in the first half of 2020 for the Financial Sector;
  • 7,717: the total number of visas issued during January and June 2020, across all of the analyzed industries or sectors;
  • 4,227: the number of entry permits that were processed in the first half of 2020 under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals; in 2019 the number of individuals admitted under the Mainland Talents and Professionals Scheme was 16,446. 

Contact us for more information on the work visa for Hong Kong. We can help you apply for the visa irrespective of nationality or the industry/sector in which you seek employment.