Staying long-term: Hong Kong status and visa
A visa with the right to live and work, an HKID, and the first year of the seven-year countdown
Hong Kong does not issue a ’residence permit’ in the European sense. It issues a visa with the right to residence and work, accompanied by an HKID identity card, and after seven years of continuous residence grants the right to residence and permanent status. There are four routes, and which one is yours is decided before filing, not after denials. We manage the entire submission.
Who it suits. For those who have a degree and experience and want to enter without an employer. For those who already have an offer from a Hong Kong company. And for those who have arrived for a visa-free 14 days to ’look around and apply’ — this is primarily for those who: The status cannot be obtained from within the country.
What is included
- ⚠️ We verify the essentials before any money changes hands: fly in on a visa-free 14-day stay and arrange status on the spot is not possible. A long-term Hong Kong visa must be arranged before entry, and being a tourist within the country does not change one’s status
- We identify the right scheme: TTPS — 24 months without an employer, GEP — tied to a job offer employer, QMAS — points-based. The scheme determines both the cost and the timeline, and what you will have to prove
- We identify the right TTPS category: A — income of HKD 2.5 million or more in the year before applying, B — a university degree from the approved list plus three years of experience in the past five, C — a degree with no experience required, annual quota of 10,000. Getting the category wrong will cost you months, and we check it before submission — not after a rejection
- We check your university and program against the Immigration Department’s lists, including the updated list of 60 professions effective 1 March 2025
- We compile and verify the dossier: diploma, proof of experience, income, certificates
- We translate documents into English and, where needed, into Chinese
- We complete and submit the application online
- We provide a Hong Kong phone number for correspondence with the authorities
- We manage the case through to a decision
- We explain which events count toward your seven-year ordinary residency clock residence, what does and does not count, and which documents to start keeping from the first day
What the package does not include
Paid separately and directly, with no markup from us.
- The bank decides: the bank opens the account on its own terms and may refuse — we prepare the package and go with you
- Hong Kong government fees: 230 HKD (approx. 30 $) for a visa or renewal, initial HKID identity card — free. Paid directly to the authority
- Apostille, notarization, and translation of documents in the country of issue
- Flight and accommodation
- Guaranteed approval: the decision rests with the Hong Kong Immigration Department
Russian nationals enter Hong Kong visa-free for 14 days. Entry is free — and that is exactly where people lose money. A long-term visa is processed before entry: a tourist already in Hong Kong cannot change their status on the spot. Coming for a scouting trip and applying from abroad won’t work, and leaving for a day trip to a neighbouring city and back — the border officer notices and asks questions. We work out this calendar before you buy your first ticket.
The second thing the market doesn’t tell you: permanent status in Hong Kong is granted after seven years of continuous ordinary residence, and that period resets easy. Time spent as a tourist does not count, time as a dependent or student — goes on, and any gap between visas resets the time already served. The Talent Visa for 24 months does not renew itself: to renew, you must show employment or your own business, and someone who arrives and doesn’t settle loses two years. Proving seven years will require lease agreements, tax files and bank statements that are impossible to find by year seven — they need to be collected from the start, not recalled at the end.
A visa must be obtained before entry. Russian nationals can enter Hong Kong without a visa for 14 days, but a visa-free entry does not become a long-term status from inside: you cannot change your status while in Hong Kong as a tourist. Figuring it out on arrival won’t work.
We give honest timelines and distinguish ours from the authorities’: for TTPS The Immigration Department reviews the application within 4 weeks from the date of receipt of a complete package — from January to May 2026, that is how 92% of cases. GEP and QMAS timelines are longer and outside our control.
The right of abode is granted to anyone who has lived in Hong Kong for at least seven years continuously. Time spent as a tourist does not count toward this period, nor does time spent as a dependent and as a student — it works, but a gap between visas breaks continuity. We have been tracking this counter from day one, not recalling it in year seven.
The exact amount for your situation is stated before we begin and confirmed in writing in the agreement. If it changes, you will be informed before payment, not after.
Pathway and category selection, university list verification, file preparation, translation, submission and management through to the authority’s decision.
Everything in ’Standard’ plus handling all correspondence with Immigration department, including responses to additional requests.
- Appointment and escort for obtaining an HKID after arrival
- Opening a tax file
- Accompaniment for opening a personal bank account
- Review of renewal conditions before you enter: what needs to be in place you have in hand within 24 months
Prices are in US dollars and are all-inclusive — nothing is added on top. Hong Kong government fees are paid separately and directly to the authority: visa or extension — 230 HKD (approx. $30), initial HKID card — free. There is no VAT in Hong Kong. SVOY initial consultation — 100 $, credited in the cost of support — the same as for Mexico and Argentina. It is paid from the first minute: a breakdown of the Chilean case — these are two dates that must align, a category matching your income and an honest answer on whether you can make it in time. We hand over the roadmap with a schedule and budget, even if the conclusion is negative.
Other points
Housing rental and purchase, documents, bank accounts and taxes, schooling, driving licence — 39 services in Hong Kong, each has its own price.
Package «Staying long-term» · Hong Kong
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The same package in another country
There is only one moment in life, but the documents, deadlines and costs are unique to each case: the rules are set by the country.