Hong Kong Work Visa

Valid Hong Kong Work Visas are required for foreigners by the Immigration Department before taking up any sort of employment whether it is paid or unpaid, short-term or long-term, unless you have been provided a Right of Abode, a Right to Land or an Unconditional Stay in Hong Kong.

Generally, in order to successfully apply for a Hong Kong Work Visa, there are several criteria Immigration will be focused on:

1. An individual should have secured an employment/job offer before the visa application is submitted;

2. An individual should possess unique qualifications and relevant working experience that are not readily available in Hong Kong in order to fulfill the visa requirement.

3. An individual should be placed in a management level job position and the salary offered should be met with market rate.

4. The sponsoring company should be financial stable and healthy.

5. The sponsoring company should have local staffs and office premise has already been set up

The processing time of a Hong Kong working visa is normally 4-6 weeks from the date of submission. Upon approval of the application, a two-year work visa will be granted. The applicant will then be allowed to apply a resident Hong Kong Identity card.

The applicant should apply and be granted a work visa before entering Hong Kong to take up his/her employment.

If an individual comes to Hong Kong before proceeding a work visa application, or an individual is recruited locally, and then subsequently applies for a work visa whilst in Hong Kong, this will affect a change of status application from a visitor visa to a work visa. This type of visa application is comparatively more difficult to process, and requires an explanation as to why an individual did not apply for a work visa before he/she came. Thus, if at all possible, it is advisable to submit the work visa application prior to entering.

In situations where an overseas company wishes to transfer an employee internally to their Hong Kong office, these types of applications can be fairly straightforward as long as the employee has been employed by that company for some time. If the applicant has only been employed by the company overseas for a few months, then the application will probably be treated as a “new” application instead of an “internal transfer” application, and thus more supporting evidence as to why the position could not be filled locally will be necessary .

Prism’s Visa Consultant Service Involves:

• Provide visa consultation service regarding to the documents required for work visa application;
  
  Prepare a tailor-made document checklist for the applicant;
  
  Complete all necessary Immigration forms for the applicant;
  
  Review and organize the documents in favor of immigration policy;
  
  Suggest alternative documents if the applicant is not able to get the listed documents;
  
  Submit the application to Immigration Department;
  
  Reply on the applicant’s behalf to all enquiries and correspondences from Immigration Department;
  
  Prepare and draft all letters required for submission to Immigration Department;
  
  Monitor the application process;
  
  Keep the applicant updated on the status of the application;
  
  Accept the approval and have the visa delivered to the applicant;
  
  Provide guidance on Hong Kong Identity Card application.

Application Procedure:

• 1. Free consultation regarding to the work visa application;
  2. Advise the applicant and the sponsoring company on their alternatives and the likelihood of success;
  3. Obtain the applicant/sponsoring company’s signature on the letter of engagement;
  4. Obtain deposit payment;
  5. Prepare a tailor-made document checklist for the application;
  6. Complete immigration forms, drafts and letters;
  7. Review the collected documents to ensure they are correctly presented;
  8. Draft all letters required for submission to Immigration Department;
  9. Ongoing liaison with Immigration Department;
  10. Reply Immigration Department’s enquiries on the applicant’s behalf;
  11. Accept the visa approval and collect the visa label from Immigration Department;
  12. Deliver the visa to the applicant;
  13. Provide guidance on Hong Kong Identity Card application.

Documents Required:

• A Visa application form ID(E) 990A with the applicant’s signatures;
  
  A Visa application form ID(E) 990B with the sponsoring company's signatures;
  
  Copy of the applicant’s passport;
  
  Copy of the applicant’s service contract with the sponsoring employer;
  
  Copies of the sponsoring employer's business incorporation documents;
  
  Copy of the sponsoring employer’s financial documents.

Processing Time:

• The visa application process normally takes 4 to 8 weeks from the date of submission.

Remarks:

• The initial visa once obtained is valid for a maximum of 24 months (sometimes less)
  
  Once the visa has been approved, the applicant is eligible to apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card.
  
  If the applicant continues to work with the same employer, he/she can apply a work visa extension when the visa is going to expire. Under normal circumstances, he/she will be granted a 3-year extension.
  
  If the applicant resigns and finds a new job, he/she has to apply change of sponsorship even the work visa is not expired yet