Exciting times - your employer has recognised your potential and would like to send you for more training at the office in Hong Kong; what do you need to do?
Answer: You need to apply for a Training Visa.
A training visa holder is allowed to enter and stay in Hong Kong for a limited time (max. 12 months) of training. The purpose of the training is to acquire special skills and knowledge that are unavailable in the applicant’s country of origin / current domicile territory.
The sponsoring company in Hong Kong must be registered and capable of providing the respective training to this employee, and the company must guarantee the repatriation of the employee once the training is completed in Hong Kong. Also, the related training schedule (including both content and duration) must be justified to and approved by Hong Kong Immigration Department.
Once the training programme has been completed, the training visa holder, under normal circumstances, cannot apply for an extension of the training visa, nor transfer to any long-term employment visa in Hong Kong. In our experience, it is rare to be granted an approval by the Immigration Department to renew a training visa.