CentreO Blog

Actually – no.

As part of an application for an investment visa you will need to go through a series of processes of proving that you can make a substantial contribution to the economy of Hong Kong. At the time of application you will not be required to disclose how much time you will be spending inside or outside HK.

So if you get approved, and then spend the majority of your time outside of Hong Kong – it should not be an issue for getting an extension of your visa twelve months later, provided, there is a good business reason for you to be away from HK and you can still  demonstrate that you indeed are making a substantial contribution to the economy of Hong Kong.

As with most Hong Kong visas, you need to demonstrate that you have a genuine NEED for the visa. And the time question will only present itself at the seven year mark, when you present your application for your permanent residency.

In the previous blog we talked about the video getting big this year. So how do you go about making one for your business?

Well, if you are in Hong Kong, you’re in luck!

For just HKD999 each hour of studio time or HKD999 for a fully produced video, Video Cha Cha offers truly affordable website video content to start ups, entrepreneurs and SMEs in Hong Kong.

Listen to the founder of Video Cha Cha, Steven Barnes, talk about why this service is perfect for entrepreneurs.

Interested? Contact us for more details at sales@centreo.hk

In his article “Five Social Media Trends Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know”, author Jayson DeMers outlines five trends he thinks are going to be big this year. He talks about Google Plus, visual content and, most importantly, videos.

If you’re not producing video for social media, now might be the time to get started.

DeMers expands on the concept of visual content and its popularity and the above video explains it in more detail.

 

Question: Can I have my company in Hong Kong, be employed by my startup in Hong Kong, yet live in Shenzhen to cut down on housing costs?

Answer: You will be facing a few challenges with this arrangement:

First, you will need to be lawfully employed in your own business in Hong Kong and apply for a business investment visa.

Second, once your approvability test for the investment visa has been passed, you will need to secure permission to live in China. Hong Kong ID can help you secure a 12-months visa in China. However, renewal may be a problem, as Chinese Immigration will question your frequent trips in and out of China. Eventually, they will ask you to set up a WFOE (Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise) in China, so that you pay corporate and personal taxes in the country.

The third challenge you will be facing is the daily across-the-border grind. Surely, quite a large number of people live in Shenzhen and commute to Hong Kong for work. But make sure you are aware of what the journey involves.

The final challenge you may be facing is your investment visa extension (after 12 months). The Immigration Department may look into the reasons WHY you spend so much time outside of Hong Kong.

The implication behind Hong Kong investment visa is that you work and live in Hong Kong.

So, if you choose to live in China, it seems like only 50% of the criteria is present.