“Hi Centre O, I’ve been staying in Hong Kong earlier this year for a few months for a working holiday. When I was out there I also managed to obtain a Hong Kong ID card. I want to join a local Start-up company HK now, and I’m not sure which visa I should be applying for, could you give me some advice?”
Well in this situation they would have two options, depending on his/her role within the company:
- If he/her is joining the business as a co-founder, so is down as a director on the Company Registry Registration paperwork filled with the Hong Kong Government, he/her will need to apply for an investment visa
- If he/her is joining the business as an employee, with a signed agreement of an employment contract, he/her will be applying for an employment visa
The company that they will be working for is important when it comes to successfully getting a Hong Kong visa as they will be acting as the clients sponsor, and for this they will need to show:
- Sufficient resources, meaning that the company will need to have a large amount money available, to show future investment in Hong Kong
- Sustainable contributions to the Hong Kong economy, by hiring local jobs. The company will have to show that your job can’t be done by a local person, so you’re needed
- It will also need to have a proper office premises in Hong Kong, the company can just be run out of a home