CentreO Blog

注意你的签证到期日

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我们每天都会处理很多关于签证申请的情况，我们也会和很多办事处合作办理移民手续，听到很多关于中国签证的不同故事。
在每个国家，严格遵守移民规则是我们建议做的第一件事，否则可能会让您经历非常不舒服的冒险。
不要逾期逗留。
这似乎很明显，尽管处罚的严重程度各不相同，但签证逾期逗留可能会危及任何未来的签证申请。在大多数情况下，您会收到书面警告，说明您不能在给定的时间内再次逾期逗留。
碰巧我们的一位美国客户在中国旅游一年多，两次在天津逾期逗留。他第一次逾期是在2015年5月。签证官好心给他延期到2015年8月8日。然而8月8日，他只是去天津的一个随机机构申请了另一个签证延期。代理人太忙，他们要求他在 8 月 11 日星期一回来，而不是建议美国客户在同一天晚上（8 月 8 日）离开该国。
他们还对他说，9号和10号是周末，根本没人会查他的签证状态。
他回到家，没有任何担心，那天晚上他和他的女朋友出去吃一个非常好的意大利披萨。
8 月 11 日星期一下午，客户回到同一个代理处。令他震惊的是，探员将他带到派出所，报告逾期滞留被罚款4000元，并要求他在一份他根本看不懂的中文报告上签字。他不知道报告的内容并留下了指纹，可能没有人（当然也不是他！）永远不会知道：他签署了 60 天的监禁，以防他再次逾期逗留。
他离开中国来到香港，他可以在这里申请紧急旅游中国签证，认为一切都好的。他走进大使馆，官员们看到他在2015年内两次在中国逾期居留，他们拒绝了他的申请，并告诉他不要回国申请。
与使馆打了几次电话，基本上使馆看到了他8月11日签的中方报告，说他逾期滞留，同意被送进监狱60天。使馆只能按照签证标签上的内容办事，所以这位美国公民不能再用同一本护照申请任何中国签证。他很困惑，向我们走来。
如果您要进入签证的领土，请务必小心！
它可能充满了诡计！！
如果您有任何疑问，Center O 将随时为您提供帮助。
有关签证申请的更多信息，请访问我们的网页：http : //centreo.hk/blog

Mid-autumn festival is coming

Falling on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival after the Spring Festival to Chinese people. Mid-Autumn Festival 2015 is on September 27.

And we will get an extra day off in September 28th this year.

It takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season. The day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest. Mid-Autumn Festival is an inherited custom of moon sacrificial ceremonies. The Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of over 3,000 years, dating back to moon worship in the ancient Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC). It has been considered as such an important day that many poems, stories and legends were written about it.

The ancient Chinese observed that the movement of the moon had a close relationship with changes of the seasons and agricultural production. Hence, to express their thanks to the moon and celebrate the harvest, they offered a sacrifice to the moon on autumn days.

In addition, there are some other customs like playing lanterns, and dragon and lion dances in some regions. People go home from every corner of the country and the world to meet their family and have dinner with them, admire the full moon and eat together. The Moon Cake is the special food of Mid-Autumn Festival. On that day, people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. According to the region they come in various flavors; they are round, symbolizing the reunion of a family, so it is easy to understand how the eating of moon cakes under the round moon can evoke longing for distant relatives and friends.

Nowadays, people present moon cakes to relatives and friends to demonstrate that they wish them a long and happy life. On Mid-Autumn Festival night the moon is supposed to be the brightest and fullest: it symbolizes peace, prosperity and family reunion.

Be sure do not miss the biggest The Lantern Carnivals at the The Tai Hang area and in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, besides showcasing an incredible variety of colorful, bright shiny lanterns, feature also many cultural events and performances including song and dances, kung fu, acrobatics, craft demonstrations and a big fire dragon dance.

The same fire dragon contraption used at the Tai Hang parade is featured at Victoria Park. One old tradition of this full moon harvest festival is to light and hang lanterns. The grandest of all lantern displays is at Victoria Park where city crowds bask in their ambient glow. The grand display is chosen during an annual lantern competition.

The 2011 display made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest sculpture made of lanterns.

For more information on this year’s Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnivals and Exhibitions check out the official site of the Hong Kong Leisure and and Cultural Services Department at www.lcsd.gov.hk.

Have a nice holiday !!!

dragon

中秋节来了

根据中国农历八月十五日，中秋节是中国人继春节之后第二个最重要的节日。2015年的中秋节是9月27日。
我们将在今年 9 月 28 日多放一天假。
它的名字来源于它总是在秋天的中期庆祝。这一天也被称为月亮节，因为在一年中的那个时候，月亮是最圆最亮的。中秋节是一种承袭的祭祀月礼习俗。中秋节距今已有3000多年的历史，最早可追溯到古代商代（公元前1600年至公元前1046年）的拜月仪式。它被认为是一个如此重要的日子，许多诗歌、故事和传说都写在它上面。
中国古代观察到，月亮的运动与季节和农业生产的变化有密切的关系。因此，为了感谢月亮，庆祝丰收，他们在秋天的日子里向月亮献祭。
此外，部分地区还有打灯笼、舞龙舞狮等习俗。人们从全国和世界的各个角落回家，与家人见面，与家人共进晚餐，赏月，一起吃饭。而月饼是中秋节的特色食品。在这一天，人们将月饼献给月亮作为祭品，并食用以庆祝。根据地区，它们有各种口味；它们是圆的，象征着一家人的团圆，所以很容易理解在圆月下吃月饼是如何唤起对远方亲友的思念。
如今，人们向亲朋好友赠送月饼，以示祝福他们长寿幸福。中秋之夜，月亮应该是最亮最圆的：它象征着和平、繁荣和家庭团聚。
千万不要错过大坑区和铜锣湾维多利亚公园最大的灯笼嘉年华，除了展示五彩缤纷、闪闪发光的灯笼外，还有许多文化活动和表演，包括歌舞、功夫、杂技、工艺示范和火龙舞。
大坑游行中使用的火龙装置也在维多利亚公园展出。这个满月丰收节的一个古老传统是点灯和挂灯笼。所有灯笼展示中最盛大的是在维多利亚公园，城市人群沐浴在周围的灯光中。盛大的展示是在一年一度的灯笼比赛中选择的。
2011 年的展览将其作为最大的灯笼雕塑载入了吉尼斯世界纪录。
有关今年中秋彩灯会及展览的更多资料，请浏览香港康乐及文化事务署的官方网站 www.lcsd.gov.hk。
假期愉快！！！
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Prolonged VISA: How and Why

Unfortunately, Hong Kong only recognizes traditional ‘legal dependents’ (heterosexual spouse) in the issuance of dependent visas. For example, will you qualify for permissions under one of the other visa categories in your own right? In case your situation doesn’t belong to one of these categories: student/training visa, investment visa, dependent visa, employment visa, and your partner as principal visa holder is able to demonstrate the capacity to support you whilst искf you remain in Hong Kong, the only real option for you is to apply for a prolonged visitor visa.

Pro-long Visitor Visas (based on a defacto relationship) are for unmarried partners who have been in a common h law or defacto relationship for at least 12 months. This status is what we have coined a ‘slippers and p pipe’ visa in so much as it allows the holder to remain in Hong Kong for an extended period of time to avail residency’ but does not provide permissions to work, join in or establish a business nor undertake a formal course of study. Unmarried children of the relationship under the age of 18 will be treated as legal dependents, and therefore able to secure dependent visas. This type of application is all about demonstrating a pre-existing relationship prior to coming to Hong Kong (photos with printed dates, phone records, friends’ letter as proves, documents indicating the sponsor and the applicant were cohabiting overseas prior to their arrival in Hong Kong, letters addressed to the same address to both of the sponsor and the applicant separately ) and the financial capacity of maintaining you, supplying food on the table and a roof over the head as sponsored partner: detailed financial information and bank statements of both partners and copy of current residential tenancy agreement in Hong Kong where the couple will live (or proof of ownership) should be prepared setting out the mutual means of support (complicating factors in cases where the relationship has only commenced after arrival in Hong Kong).

The application together with all of the supporting documentation is submitted to the Visitors section at Immigration Tower. The application will not be decided that day and it can take between 6-8 months for the final outcome to be notified. During this period the applicant will be contacted by the examining officer by fax, phone, email or letter through the post, so do not be unprepared. After the approval, a prolonged visitor visa is usually issued for 6 months (the validity, any period under 6 months, is entirely on the discretion of the Department) and it can be renewed for another 6 months before it expires.

A prolong visitor visa is not a resident visa, so the holder will not qualify for a HKID card. Extensions will be granted routinely (upon application) thereafter. If you are planning to exit Hong Kong within that time frame you are advised to seek a re-entry permit so that your prolonged visitor visa consents are not cancelled when you leave Hong Kong and upon your return to the HKSAR the examining officer will grant you a period of stay with an expiry date of six months after the date of the original approval.

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如何延长签证以及为什么延长签证

不幸的是，香港在签发受养人签证时只承认传统的“合法受养人”（异性配偶）。例如，您自己是否有资格获得其他签证类别之一的许可？如果您的情况不属于以下类别之一：学生/培训签证、投资签证、家属签证、工作签证，并且您的配偶作为主要签证持有人能够证明您有能力在您留在香港期间为您提供支持，您唯一真正的选择是申请长期访客签证。
长期访客签证（基于事实上的关系）适用于在普通法或事实上的关系中至少有 12 个月的未婚伴侣。这种状态就是我们创造的“拖鞋和p管”签证，因为它允许持有人在香港逗留很长时间以获得居留权”，但不提供工作、加入或建立的许可一个企业，也没有进行正式的学习课程。未满 18 岁的未婚子女将被视为合法受抚养人，因此能够获得受抚养人签证。这种类型的申请都是为了证明来港之前已经存在的关系（打印日期的照片、电话记录、朋友的来信作为证明、证明担保人和申请人在抵达香港之前在海外同居的文件）。分别写给担保人和申请人的同一地址的信件）以及维持你的经济能力，作为担保伙伴提供食物和居住地方：详细的财务信息和双方的银行对帐单应准备夫妇将居住的香港的现行住宅租赁协议副本（或所有权证明），列出相互支持的方式（如果关系在抵达香港后才开始，则为复杂因素）。
申请连同所有支持文件提交给移民塔的访客部分。申请不会在当天做出决定，最终结果可能需要 6-8 个月的时间才能得到通知。在此期间，考官将通过传真、电话、电子邮件或邮寄信件与申请人联系，因此请不要措手不及。经批准后，延期访客签证通常签发6个月（有效期，任何6个月以下的期限，完全由部门决定），并可在到期前再续签6个月。
长期访客签证不是居民签证，因此持有人将没有资格获得香港身份证。此后将定期（根据申请）授予延期。如果你计划在该时间范围内离开香港，建议你申请再入境许可证，这样你的长期访客签证同意书不会在你离开香港和返回香港特别行政区时被取消，审查官会授予你在原批准之日起六个月届满的逗留期限。

Startup event : thank you all for coming !

Thank for those who came last night to our coworking space for the Startup event !

We hope you enjoyed the talk and the possibility to exchange views with others about how to launch successfully your business in Hong Kong.

In order to stay always updated about next events like these, please check our MeetUp and Eventbrite pages:

http://www.meetup.com/Multi-Network-Business-Community/

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-in-hong-kong-all-you-need-to-know-free-tickets-18219853071?aff=es2

创业活动：感谢大家的到来！

感谢昨晚来到我们共享办公空间参加 Startup 活动的人！
我们希望您喜欢这次讲座，并希望您有机会与他人就如何在香港成功开展业务交换意见。
为了随时了解此类下一次活动的最新信息，请查看我们的 MeetUp 和 Eventbrite 页面：
http://www.meetup.com/Multi-网络的商务社区/
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-in-hong-kong-all-you-need-to-know-free-tickets-18219853071?aff=es2

Strategy, market, project: what a business plan is

A business plan is a formal statement of business goals, reasons they are attainable, and plans for reaching them. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals and a strategic planning, an organization’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating resources to pursue this aim. Business plans may target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, taxpayer, or larger community. When the existing business is to assume a major change or when planning a new venture, a 3 to 5 year business plan is required, since investors will look for their investment return in that time frame.

Every applicant for a Hong Kong investment visa needs to have a ‘planned business’. But if somebody tell you need a fully fledged business plan, don’t believe them because it’s not true. Have your plans, intentions and money flows written down and make sure your business is planned, but don’t be intimidated into drawing up a formally prepared plan. Most entrepreneurs starting out for the first time wouldn’t know where to begin in supply such a documentations.
Those are important points because so many investment visa applicants that are ready to start their business must have written up at least a basic document which sets out how they plan their projects growing over the first couple of years. This documented material does provide the essential elements of the argument underpinning the investment visa application and is an absolute gold mine of information for an immigration consultant who is skilled at articulating an investment proposition in the context of current Hong Kong immigration policy.

It could be helping to follow those little schemes:

Typical structure for a business plan for a startup venture

– cover page and table of contents
– executive summary
– mission statement
– business description
– business environment analysis
– SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in a project or in a business venture )
– industry background
– competitor and market analysis
– operations and marketing plan
– management summary
– financial plans and future milestones
– project plans ( describe the goals of a particular project )

Typical questions addressed by a business plan for a startup venture

– What problem does the company’s product or service solve? What niche will it fill?
– What is the company’s solution to the problem?
– Who are the company’s customers, and how will the company market and sell its products to them?
– What is the business model for the business (how will it make money)?
– Who are the competitors and how will the company maintain a competitive advantage?
– How does the company plan to manage its operations as it grows?
– What are the risks and threats confronting the business, and what can be done to mitigate them?
– What are the company’s capital and resource requirements?
– What are the company’s historical and projected financial statements?

Don’t loose your time! Write a good business plan, and be ready to get started!
Congratulations!
You’ve just greatly increased the chances that your business venture will succeed !!

战略、市场、项目：什么是商业计划书

（图片）商业计划是对商业目标、可实现的原因以及实现这些目标的计划的正式声明。它还可能包含有关试图实现这些目标的组织或团队的背景信息和战略规划、组织定义其战略或方向的过程，以及为实现这一目标而分配资源的决策。商业计划可能针对客户、客户、纳税人或更大社区的认知和品牌变化。当现有业务发生重大变化或规划新企业时，需要一个 3 到 5 年的商业计划，因为投资者会在那个时间范围内寻找他们的投资回报。
每位申请香港投资签证的申请人都需要有一份“计划中的业务”。但是如果有人告诉你需要一个成熟的商业计划，不要相信他们，因为这不是真的。写下您的计划、意图和资金流向，并确保您的业务按计划进行，不要害怕制定正式准备的计划。大多数第一次创业的企业家不知道从哪里开始提供这样的文件。
这些都很重要，因为许多准备创业的投资签证申请人必须至少写一份基本文件，说明他们如何计划他们在最初几年的项目发展。这份书面材料确实提供了支持投资签证申请的论据的基本要素，对于擅长在当前香港移民政策的背景下阐明投资主张的移民顾问来说，这是一个绝对的信息金矿。
遵循这些小计划可能会有所帮助：
初创企业商业计划的典型结构
– 封面和目录
– 执行摘要
– 使命陈述
– 业务描述
– 商业环境分析
– SWOT 分析（项目或企业中涉及的优势、劣势、机会和威胁）
– 行业背景
– 竞争对手和市场分析
–运营和营销计划
– 管理摘要
– 财务计划和未来里程碑
– 项目计划（描述特定项目的目标）
初创企业商业计划解决的典型问题
– 公司的产品或服务解决了什么问题？它将填补什么利基？
– 公司对问题的解决方案是什么？
– 谁是公司的客户，公司将如何向他们推销和销售产品？
– 企业的商业模式是什么（它将如何赚钱）？
– 谁是竞争对手，公司将如何保持竞争优势？
– 随着公司的发展，公司计划如何管理其运营？
– 企业面临哪些风险和威胁，可以采取哪些措施来缓解这些风险和威胁？
– 公司的资本和资源需求是什么？
– 公司的历史和预计财务报表是什么？
不要浪费你的时间！写一份好的商业计划书，准备好开始吧！
恭喜！
您刚刚大大增加了您的企业成功的机会！！
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Working Holiday Visa application: Purpose of the scheme

As a general rule, any person other than those who have the right of abode or right to land in Hong Kong, must obtain a visa before coming to Hong Kong for the purpose of study, taking up employment, training, investment or residence.
To get a work experience abroad represents a great occasion to strengthening your cultural and educational background: to grow in a cosmopolitan environment can make you better understand how business works in a different country. To work with people from different heritages is a great incentive to maintain your brain glowing and to have a overall view of another reality.
You will be deal with the Immigration department which will ask you to provide a full documentation about your education, your previous occupations and details about your stay in Hong Kong. To facilitate your application for the working holiday visa, you should provide the following list of certificates:
– Intern’s financial proof of having an amount of at least HK$ 25,000 ( or in EUR but equals to HK$ 25000), sufficient for maintenance during the proposed stay in HK, e.g. Bank statement, saving accounts passbook, etc;
– Travel insurance proof with your name and the period of protection has to cover your stay in HK.
– CV- education certificates, past employer’s reference letter
– Return home air ticket ( open for 1 year, which that allow you to change the flying dates in the event that you want to )
– A letter by which you explain why you would like to come to HK for a Working Holiday Visa for the said period;
– Passport and travel document, showing your personal particulars, nationality, date of issue and expiry of the travel document;
– Landing Slip when you came in.
– 1 white background passport photo, full face without a hat ( need to send or bring to our office, cannot be scanned)
– Filled and signed ID940 form ( have a look at the following link http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/forms/forms/id-e-940.html )

If your application is successful, an entry visa will be mailed to you direct or be issued through your reference or the relevant Chinese diplomatic and consular mission as appropriate: you will be issued with a “Working Holiday” visa. Holder of such visa will be allowed to enter the HKSAR for a period of not more than six months (for participants from Austria) or 12 months (for participants from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom). If the application is submitted to the HK Immigration Department direct, you must send a cashier order or bank draft in HK currency in the amount of HKD 190 for payment of visa fee. It will normally take 2 weeks to process a visa application upon receipt of necessary documents.
Your personal data will be keep by the Immigration Department and used to process your application. This provision of personal data is voluntary and if information wouldn’t be sufficient, they won’t be able to process your request.

Centre O’Connect can help you to handle all the procedures in a fast and secure way.
You couldn’t wait to start your exciting experience in Hong Kong!