Working In Hong Kong - Dilemma - Any Suggestions

[Bredbury Blue]

Hi,

I’m a construction consultant, have my own small company.

I’ve been asked by a HKG consultancy to go over to do some work there for 3 months.

It was my intention when I got in to this that I would go over there as a consultant through my company and bill for my time through my company invoice to the company I was going to work for.

I also want to take the wife (Thai) and kids over for emotional reasons as the kids are toddlers and that’s no problem for the people over there.

Heres’ the first problem. They are saying that ALL working in HKG, need an employment visa in order to do work or do business, even whether you’re an overseas business man there just for a series of meetings or to source work or similar but not actually doing any work – is that true?. If that’s true then presumably people there for a short period of time turn a blind eye to the employment visa and just get on with it.

There’s a second problem. They are already hinting that there may be no employment visa for me, which would give the wife a problem as she’s Thai and only gets a 30 day visa and if she goes in and out of HKG to renew her visa maybe questions would be asked and problems arise?

I would like to be legal so that the wife has no problem and so I’m not looking over my shoulder (which is one major factor why I set up my own company here), and be employed as an overseas consultant in order to get paid through my company invoice, is that possible or do I have to effectively become their direct employee to be paid?

Any one with any experience or knowledge of this?

[kc_phil]

HONG-KONG-EXPAT-O-RAMA!!!

http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/

http://www.Google.com.info/forum/index.php?showforum=47

http://www.alloexpat.com/hong_kong_expat_forum/

[Meerkat]

Can't give you an answer to your main problem, but I'd be surprised if HK demand you get a work visa for a short-term contract like that - bear in mind that in order to get the visa, you'd have to get an ID card as well (ie become resident).

Re the question about your wife. HK are absolute nightmares on that front. I commute between BKK and HK. The missus is Thai, but we met when she worked in HK (legit - with work visa etc). Now if she pops over to HK on a tourist visa she gets the three degrees every time she enters. The most egregious being last year when she'd been in HK all week and we decided to go to Macau at the weekend for a spot of golf. When we got back to HK we were in a hurry as we had to go straight up to the airport to fly back to BKK. Immigration held us up inspite of our protestations that she was only going to be in town for the length of a taxi ride to HKG. Upon presenting the onward tickets (well, the confo, as they were e-tickets) they finally relented after more than 20 mins deliberating amongst themselves.

Idiotic question from them after looking at the confo. "Why are you flying Business class?"

Quick-as-a-flash answer (couldn't help myself...). "Because there's no First on that flight."

[RAZZELL]

Idiotic question from them after looking at the confo. "Why are you flying Business class?"

Quick-as-a-flash answer (couldn't help myself...). "Because there's no First on that flight."

Like it...

[LaoPo]

Idiotic question from them after looking at the confo. "Why are you flying Business class?"Quick-as-a-flash answer (couldn't help myself...). "Because there's no First on that flight."

Brilliant....Love your answer!

LaoPo

[Bredbury Blue]

Excellent riposte. And thanks for your comments.

[toptuan]

Just came back from Hong Kong May 20. Was there on a 10-day visit, and traveled from Thailand with a Thai friend. Absolutely no hassles for Thai friend going through Macau and into HK, and then the reverse direction at the end of the trip. Either my experience was a fluke or yours. Strange.

[Bredbury Blue]

Toptuan,

I think you had no problem because you didn't go around the 30 day expiry of the HKG visa - maybe.