[tsaofan]

Hello there,

I ve been working here for almost a year and will need to renew my visa. However i have at the same time my own Ltd company which has the potential to make me earn more than i do though my current employment.

Lets say i wanna quit my job to run at full time that business. doest it help:
To prove i had already the visa one year
To earn the equivalent of my salary though this business ?
To eventually hire a local?
Basically how can i switch my current visa and be my own sponsor?

Thanks for your help and comments about this.

[PDLM]

What you appear to have now is an Employment Visa. This permits you only to work for the company which sponsored that visa. If you are also working for another company without the Immigration Department's permission then you have been breaking the terms of your Visa, and there is a possibility that it could be withdrawn and you asked to leave. So you need to be careful.

What you describe as a "business visa" is what is officially called an Investment Visa. In order to get an Investment Visa you have to show credible business plans for your business, and that it will add value to the Hong Kong economy, preferably by employing local permanent residents. Immigration is not interested in how much you will earn except in that you must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient money to support yourself at a reasonable level and will not become a burden on the taxpayer.

The application form for an Investment Visa is the same one as for your Employment Visa, although you need to complete it slightly differently and supply different supporting material.

The form is here, and the Guidance Notes are here.

[tsaofan]

I think the system of setting up compagnies is quite contradictory .... any foreigner can come here and set up a ltd in few days but we cannot run it as extra activity (evening or weekends) in spite we have a visa...

Anyway thanks for the informations and I ll check all those points!

Cheers