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  • 2 Post By Goostah
  • 1 Post By Goostah
  • 1 Post By Claire ex-ax

QMAS Renewal

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    10

    QMAS Extension

    Hi All

    Just want to get some info from anyone here who has been through the first QMAS extension.

    I have been admitted under the general points and my first year is due to expire at the end of April. I am in HK now but haven't got a job as yet and realistically don't like my chances of securing a job before my visa is up. As an alternatively I am planning on setting up a company and establishing a consulting business. Anybody been through this route to secure their first year extension? If yes, what stage was your business at, was it fully operational with defined revenue streams or was it just at the formation stage, how much details did you provide ImmD regarding your business? Any other alternative suggestions for getting through the first extension if you don't have a job?

    Thanks

    Last edited by Goostah; 15-01-2013 at 09:07 AM.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Hong Kong, from UK
    Posts
    3,838

    If you read your guidance notes:

    To obtain an extension of stay at the end of the first 12-month period... required to provide evidence... has taken steps to settle in Hong Kong... e.g. by securing a gainful employment or establishing a business
    So, you haven't secured a gainful employment. Have you established a business? How long have you been living in HK? Looking back at my old emails... for my first year renewal, they asked me to provide financial proofs of an operating business, and as many of the items from paragraph 71 of the Guidance Notes as possible. In my case, I had almost none of the requested items, but I did have basic evidence of a business, and reasonable-sounding reasons for not having the rest.

    In other words, I think you might have trouble if all you have is a BR and no evidence of any clients, revenue or other actual activity.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    10

    Thanks for your response.

    While ImmD's guideance notes are clear on extensions for those going down the employment route or those going down the business route, I am more interested in people's practical experience of their extension. I have read your posts on the forums and they have been very useful in working out options for extending my visa. Thanks. However, I have also read on here of another who had formed a company and had not yet gone through the motions of establishing an up and running business (i.e. no revenue streams, no contracts for work in progress nor MOUs, no office leases or other business premises etc) yet had secured QMAS extension off the back of a well documented business plan and product development. I agree that merely having incorporated a company is not going to work so my focus is on showing the ImmD that I have done the ground work for establishing a HK business and have the evidence and reasons for the level of documentation I can provide.

    FYI I have been in and out HK over the past 3 months. The QMAS process for me was a long one, took close to a year just to get ImmD's AIP and then of course the time for me to get to HK, do the interviews and then the re-entry. Over this time I was essentially in limbo at ImmD's discretion regarding any HK plans while still having to focus on my job and other consultancy projects. Timelines and dates for these were comitted to prior to ImmDs approval so I was not in a position to drop all and go to HK immediately. The last few months was focused on my startup consultancy and working with startup investors (all work outside of HK) and from this business I can put a solid case together regarding ground work for establishing a HK business but HK revenue streams won't exist nor would business premises, hiring of local staff/MPF contributions etc

    Last edited by Goostah; 16-01-2013 at 08:06 AM.
    TheBrit likes this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Ex Sai Kunger Sunny Qld for now
    Posts
    8,318

    I don't like your chances, Goose.. If you were a race horse, I would place you @ 100 to 1 odds/tote of getting renewed.

    QMAS is a bit of a use the opportunity, or lose it deal.

    Like most things in life, money talks, bullshit walks......Be it Hong Kong, London, New York etc the same rules apply ... Less talk kid and start DOING what you say, or they'll shut the door on you.

    Last edited by Skyhook; 16-01-2013 at 08:59 AM.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    10

    Thanks "Uncle", I trust your comments are based on your personal experience with QMAS extension?

    TheBrit and dengxi like this.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Sarcasm - because beating the crap out of people is illegal
    Posts
    14,622

    The ImmD looks at each case individually so you can't really go by what happened to other people in order to get a definitive answer. Heck, you won't even get a definitive answer from the ImmD if you asked them directly. All you can do is put forward your best case.

    Fiona in HKG likes this.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    10

    Thanks Claire, that's what was I expecting. Extending under employment is pretty clear cut but going down the business route really is dependant on a case by case circumstances. What does seem evident is that ImmD is not expecting that all points under paragraph 71 of the Guideance Notes are ticked off but that you have taken to steps establish your business and, if you are at the early stages, the strength of your business plan. Hence the interest to hear the experiences and circumstances of others who have been down the business route.

    Last edited by Goostah; 16-01-2013 at 02:10 PM.