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Anyone doing this in Hong Kong? The GF is considering a move to HK with work and I'm trying to sort out how I'd scrape by if I wanted to tag along...

chatmasta 12y ago
I just got back from a trip to HK. While I'm sure it's do-able, be forewarned that HK is just as expensive as any other major financial center. Don't expect prices to be cheap just because it's Asia.
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  In HK, expensive things are cheap and cheap things are expensive...at least compared to the mainland.
- Taniwha 12y ago
  I know people who are living in Shenzhen (a subway ride away) and commuting to HK - the whole "visa-run" being the morning commute
corford 12y ago
Try this link for some pointers: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/07/12/how-i-opened-a-branch-office-of-my-business-in-hong-kong/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/07/12/how-i-ope...
vmlinuz 12y ago
Been living and working in HK for almost 10 years - currently all visa-ed up and legal, but haven't necessarily always been... There are persistent stories of people who've been living here for years doing regular visa runs, but oddly they mostly seem to be stories, not direct experiences. There are also stories of people who got 'caught', in that the immigration officials decided they'd done too many runs and couldn't explain how they were living in HK without working, and were given 2 weeks to clear up and move out. It's a risk... With a UK passport you'd get 180 days of visa-free stay per entry, with most other 'developed-world' passports you'd get 90 days. The actual rules on what you can do during that stay are quite strict - attending meetings, negotiating/signing contracts, etc. is allowed, but most other work isn't - to the extent that technically you're not even allowed to do voluntary work. That said, nobody is going to bother you if you're here for a few months and happen to be working for a remote client/employer at home or in a coffee shop. It's the visa runs which are the danger, since that's when they can pick you up. May not be a nice thing to say, but being white does help quite a lot. It's easier to be here as a resident, legally. You get (almost-)free access to government healthcare, and things like banking are much easier, plus of course you don't have that looking-over-your-shoulder feeling. One standard piece of advice, which definitely doesn't fit everyone but might be worth considering - assuming you and the GF are a heterosexual couple, a civil marriage is relatively simple in HK, and assuming she is working and/or a resident in her own right, that would get you a visa as a dependent. HK doesn't recognise non-heterosexual relationships in any useful way... An alternative might be Taiwan, maybe not for you, but for others seeking 'Asia' - I do know a Brit who's been living there for years doing visa runs while writing code for people mostly in the UK, and it seems to work for him and his drunken bum lifestyle :)

chatmasta 12y ago

I just got back from a trip to HK. While I'm sure it's do-able, be forewarned that HK is just as expensive as any other major financial center. Don't expect prices to be cheap just because it's Asia.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago
In HK, expensive things are cheap and cheap things are expensive...at least compared to the mainland.
Taniwha 12y ago
I know people who are living in Shenzhen (a subway ride away) and commuting to HK - the whole "visa-run" being the morning commute

corford 12y ago

Try this link for some pointers: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/07/12/how-i-opened-a-branch-office-of-my-business-in-hong-kong/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/07/12/how-i-ope...

vmlinuz 12y ago

Been living and working in HK for almost 10 years - currently all visa-ed up and legal, but haven't necessarily always been... There are persistent stories of people who've been living here for years doing regular visa runs, but oddly they mostly seem to be stories, not direct experiences. There are also stories of people who got 'caught', in that the immigration officials decided they'd done too many runs and couldn't explain how they were living in HK without working, and were given 2 weeks to clear up and move out. It's a risk... With a UK passport you'd get 180 days of visa-free stay per entry, with most other 'developed-world' passports you'd get 90 days. The actual rules on what you can do during that stay are quite strict - attending meetings, negotiating/signing contracts, etc. is allowed, but most other work isn't - to the extent that technically you're not even allowed to do voluntary work. That said, nobody is going to bother you if you're here for a few months and happen to be working for a remote client/employer at home or in a coffee shop. It's the visa runs which are the danger, since that's when they can pick you up. May not be a nice thing to say, but being white does help quite a lot. It's easier to be here as a resident, legally. You get (almost-)free access to government healthcare, and things like banking are much easier, plus of course you don't have that looking-over-your-shoulder feeling. One standard piece of advice, which definitely doesn't fit everyone but might be worth considering - assuming you and the GF are a heterosexual couple, a civil marriage is relatively simple in HK, and assuming she is working and/or a resident in her own right, that would get you a visa as a dependent. HK doesn't recognise non-heterosexual relationships in any useful way... An alternative might be Taiwan, maybe not for you, but for others seeking 'Asia' - I do know a Brit who's been living there for years doing visa runs while writing code for people mostly in the UK, and it seems to work for him and his drunken bum lifestyle :)