Hong Kong which is also known as HKSAR (Hong Kong’s special administrative region of People’s Republic of China) is a metropolitan area and comes under a special administrative area of the PRC. The territory is one of the most densely populated one in the world. The territory along with mainland China follows the one nation, two systems policy.
There are certain types of visas that the country provides to foreigners. The territory has very low tax rates and a strong economy. If you want to know about Hong Kong visa types, do read this article till the end.
HONG KONG VISA TYPES INFORMATION
The visa type for Hong Kong immigration visa solely depends on the objective and duration of stay in the territory. Different visas take different processing time, fee, and effort by your side. If you have relevant documents and also meet the eligibility criteria, the whole process becomes even easier for you. It is very important for an applicant to decide beforehand for what visa he is applying for. Deciding beforehand saves a lot of time and effort.
While the student visas and tourists visas are obtained in a go. The work visas are a hectic procedure. Let us look at each of the visas in detail:
TOURIST VISAS
The citizens of several countries get the visa exemption facility. The Hong Kong visa-free countries do not need to avail a visa when they are traveling to the country for tourism purposes. They can stay in this territory for a period of 7 to 180 days. The citizens of the United Kingdom and Macau get to stay for a period of 180 days. There are 66 countries that can stay for a period of 30 days, and 26 countries that can stay for up to 26 days.
Also, citizens of 34 countries can stay for a period of 14 days in the territory.
Additionally, the Indian nationals can apply for the pre approval form on our website to obtain the visa beforehand. As of now, only citizens of India are eligible to do so.
There are certain countries that have to apply for a visa before. They do not need a transit visa though, when they are to transit through a country. For other countries that are not exempt, you need to avail both, the tourist and transit visas.
In case of those countries that are not exempt, they need to visit the nearest embassy or consulate regarding the same with all the documents that are needed.
One thing that you should note is that when you visit the territory on a visit visa, you will not be able to change it to an employment one without exiting the country. You will have to re-enter to do so.
HONG KONG WORK VISA
To obtain this, you need to get hired by a company in this territory who is willing to complete all the formalities related to the issuing of your visa. The sponsoring company should also prove that you have the necessary skills that are required for the job. It should also mention what uniqueness you have that a local worker cannot fill your position in the company.
When granting the Hong Kong working visa, the immigration department looks into the applicant’s job experience, education, and relevant skills. If only they find that satisfactory, they grant the same to them.
The Hong Kong work visa application form is not needed to be submitted by you. It is needed to be submitted by your future employer. The company should submit a valid offer letter which should state all the job details. It should contain proofs about the remuneration packages which should contain the details of salary, medical, accommodation, and the other benefits bestowed by the company to the employee.
The entire process takes 4 to 6 days in total. After the immigration department approves the request, it is handed over to the employer. The employer then hands the visa to the employee. After receiving it, you can also apply for the same for your children and spouse as well.
The work visas are granted for the period of time as long as your work tenure is. However, generally, they are not granted for more than a period of two years. If your company wants to keep you employed for a longer period of time, they will have to apply for a visa renewal. The process for that is also simple if you have all the documents and records present with you.
You should note that work visas cannot be transferred from one company to another. If you are fired or you resign, you will have to re apply for a visa. Your employer should inform the immigration department as soon as you decide to leave the company. The intra company visas transfer is only possible for the people who have worked for a period of more than 12 more in overseas companies.
In case you want some kind of other extra employment in the country, you will have to ask permission from the government for the same.
You will have to submit certain documents for this purpose:
- Your application form for the visa
- Your ID card
- Valid passport
- Description of the work that you have been asked to do
- Letter from your current employer giving you the permission to do the other work.
INVESTMENT VISAS
These are issued to the people who are self employed in the territory. You must meet the requirements for HongKong visa to avail this. To access this, you will have to go through a large amount of paperwork. They contain your background check including educational details, experience, the business activity details, capitals on the business, and also the jobs that the business will create.
DEPENDENT VISAS
If you possess work or residency visas in the territory, you can avail the same for your spouse or children who are below the age of 18. You should also know that, if you lose your employment there, the dependents will also lose their visas.
STUDENT VISAS
They are more like the work visas. To get these, your educational institution must apply for the same to the Hong Kong immigration department.
PERMANENT RESIDENCY
This can be granted to the people who have stayed in the territory for a period of seven years. You also need to fulfill certain other requirements to avail this. However, if you leave the territory for a period of three year, your permanent residency visa expires.
GENERAL FAQs
Q. Can I change my tourist visa into a work visa?
No, it is not possible to do so. You will have to leave the country and apply for a new one for this purpose.
Q. Will the china visa work if I want to visit Hong Kong?
No, both the countries follow the one nation two systems policy. Hence, you will have to apply for a visa independently for this territory.
Now that you know all about the Hong Kong visa types, it must have gotten easier for you to apply for the same. You should have a keen knowledge of the different types of visas that a country provides before visiting that country for a smooth experience.
