CentreO Blog

Naturally, the best way is to not get rejected. How? You should try to understand all the strengths and weaknesses of your application and highlight those strengths and downplay those weaknesses when submitting the application.

But what to do in the worst-case scenario?

The two options are:

–       apply for reconsideration

–       appeal

 RECONSIDERATION

You can apply for reconsideration of your application. The grounds for this are that you have significant additional and new information added to your application.

For details and step-by-step instructions, go to http://www.hongkongvisahandbook.com/home/hong-kong-application-reconsiderations/

 APPEAL

If your reconsideration attempt fails – you can try the final appeal. You have two alternatives here:

–       Immigration Ordinance Review (presupposes the review of your application by a higher-ranking officer)

–       Judicial Review (presupposes the intervention of court on the proceedings of HKID)

For details and step-by-step instructions, go to

 http://www.hongkongvisahandbook.com/home/hong-kong-final-appeal-options/

These procedures tend to be expensive, burdensome and time and nerve-consuming and only in rare cases these options are suitable and recommended

 

 

Be honest. Are you happy with the way everything is in your office: the furniture arrangement, noise level, view, working space…It’s true. There are a lot of things over which we have little control.

However, there are some seemingly small things that can make all the difference.

How about starting with smell?

According to Entrepreneur magazine , “Smell is the strongest of the senses and is best able to influence brain activity.” This is because olfactory bulbs directly connect to the areas of the brain that process learning and emotions. For many people, aromatherapy can even lowering blood pressure.

By changing the scent at your workplace, you can take control of your mental and emotional states.

How to do that? You can keep small bottles of essential oils in a desk drawer. Whenever you feel tired, depressed or just in need of a boost – put a few drops of the oil on a handkerchief and inhale deeply.

But what essential oils to choose? Here are a few ideas:

Need more energy? Go for lemon and orange. Citrus scents have an uplifting effect. For a triple benefit– just eat an orange: you get your uplift, a dose of vitamin C and a delightful snack)

Want to relax? Try some jasmine or lavender. These scents are known for their relaxing properties. They can also help with stress relief and easing headaches.

Having trouble concentrating? Peppermint and cinnamon are the answer. These scents can help you freshen up your mental state and get more focus. Alternatively, trying chewing a piece of peppermint or cinnamon gum.

 

We are very happy to have Stephen Barnes, author of the Hong Kong Visa Handbook and renowned expert on visa and immigration matters in the HKSAR, to talk about the challenges faced by foreign national entrepreneurs in securing the necessary immigration permissions to join in or establish businesses here in Hong Kong.

This is a free seminar. Stephen will be spending quite a lot of time discussing one man investment visas and also explaining how the Hong Kong Immigration Department view such applications. Moreover, Stephen will also talk about dependant visa and employment visa applications, ways to improve chances of a successful application and giving detailed, practical step-by-step procedures (including all the resources you will need in your application.)

There will also be a Q&A section at the end of the presentation for your questions about your own visa.

Date: December 13th, 2013 ( Friday)

Time: 4pm – 6pm

Location:  HKTDC SME Centre
(Ground Level, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,
1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong)

RSVP: sales@centreo.hk

Briefly about Stephen:

Long-recognized by his peers as the leading authority on Hong Kong business immigration matters, LSE law graduate Stephen Barnes published the first edition of the Hong Kong Visa Handbook on the internet in 1996.

For the 17 years since then, Stephen (aka the Hong Kong Visa Geeza) has been at the forefront of the immigration services industry in Hong Kong.

A regular guest RTHK Radio 3, Stephen answers visa questions live on air, frequently delivers Continuing Professional Development programmes to Hong Kong’s legal and accounting professions on the topic of business immigration to the HKSAR and is in demand as a subject matter expert locally and internationally.

In our previous blog we mentioned that you have two options when setting up a non-profit organization in Hong Kong. First one – you can set up a company. And here is the second one:

1. Set Up a Society

To register as a Society, an organization must register with the Societies Office of the Police Department (http://www.police.gov.hk/)

Many less formal industry associations and social/recreational groups opt for this.

Why? There are some advantages:

–       Cost – minimal. A society is free of the statutory controls which companies are subject to, and can be inexpensive to run.

– There is no fee for registering under the Societies Ordinance.

– Simplicity – set-up process is simple and hassle-free. A registered society can be very simple to run. Minimal formalities are required and administrative complexity can be kept to a minimum.

However, there are also a few disadvantages to consider:

–       Unincorporated structure: if the organization becomes inactive, great difficulties can sometimes be encountered in identifying he persons with the authority to take decisions as to the disposal of the assets

– Personal liability: both members of the  management committee and sometimes the members of the association itself may incur.