(for the Hong Kong Trade
Development Council)

Angela Spaxman swapped the
forests of Canada for the
urban jungle of Hong Kong when she arrived
with her husband Dave in 1996. On seeing the opportunities here, the former
logging engineer retrained as an executive coach and set up her own venture,
Angela Spaxman Business & Career Coaching. Now, with a lifestyle she
loves and a client list that includes many high-profile corporates – among them
L'Oreal, Modern Terminals, the Hong Kong Jockey Club and TNT Freight Management
- she explains why coming to Hong Kong was the best decision of her
life.

“When Dave's company gave us the
choice of moving to any city in Asia, we chose Hong Kong. Having previously
spent six months here in 1993, we knew there were plenty of business
opportunities for English speakers. In many other Asian cities it is very hard
or even impossible to break into business without being a local. In Hong Kong, foreigners are welcomed and have many
opportunities to get involved. It is very easy to meet people and make connections.
A foreigner who speaks English can make meaningful contributions to the
community almost immediately upon arrival as the expat community is very active
and well integrated.

Another important draw for me to Hong Kong is that it has excellent access to hiking and
other outdoor activities. And the environment is better than some other cities
in the region.

I'd been searching for a career that would keep
inspiring me, and from the moment I started my coaching business, I knew I was
on track. I found a lot of support in Hong Kong
for setting up my business. There is easy access to business support groups
full of experienced people who are willing to share their expertise and provide
encouragement. For example, my friends in the Women Business Owners Club, the
Hong Kong Achievers Toastmasters Club and the Hong Kong International Coaching
Community all provided invaluable support in different ways and at different
stages of my development. Hong Kong also has a
lot of inspiring entrepreneurs to learn from, and a can-do attitude among the
business community. Government regulations around business set-up are very easy
and transparent.

Through my company I work with managers,
professionals, and business owners who want to love their jobs and excel. My
clients could be accelerating their learning about management and leadership
skills; inspiring, empowering and developing their team members; or creating
careers that suit them perfectly. Hong Kong is
the ideal base for a professional services business such as mine. As a hub for
so many international businesses and high-level executives in all kinds of
organisations, it is an excellent place for connecting with ambitious and
successful people who are investing in business and their own development.

From an entrepreneur's viewpoint, Hong Kong has a practical,
business-minded culture that makes it easy to meet people, find support and
encouragement, and create alliances. It has transparent, reliable business
infrastructure, and is perfect for networking. It's easy to meet lots of
different people who are interested in meeting other people and are very aware
of the value of connections in making business opportunities, learning and expanding
horizons. Another reason is that with the mix of cultures in the international
community, there are fewer barriers to communication caused by shyness or
cultural introversion.

In the past four years, my revenue
has doubled as more individuals want to change or improve their careers so they
are fulfilled and performing at their best, and corporates invest in management
and leadership development in order to improve organisational effectiveness. At
the same time, I have a very enjoyable lifestyle with the work/life balance I
prefer. Personally, I love the transport system here and the ability to get
anywhere in the city so quickly and easily using trains, buses, trams and even
boats. I also really enjoy the outdoors in Hong Kong.
There are hundreds of kilometres of excellent and varied hiking trails
throughout the territory that are well marked and easily accessible. It's also
possible to find challenging climbs and spectacular beaches and waterfalls.

Hong Kong has given me the
opportunity to find very rewarding work and to extend myself personally through
the challenges of creating my own ideal career. And, it is a place where my
husband has been able to do the same. My decision to come to Hong
Kong and start a business was a key turning point which enabled me
to establish a business and career far beyond what I had imagined
originally.”

Since 1997 it has gradually been
getting more difficult for foreigners to get work visas in Hong
Kong. This trend may be partly because of the change of rule from
British to Chinese, and it is certainly because of the changes in the economy.
For the first time in decades, unemployment is a concern in Hong Kong that
affects the government's openness to foreign workers. 

Even so, it is still absolutely possible to get a work visa in Hong
Kong as long as you can identify your specific place in the marketplace and
prove your value to the Hong Kong Immigration Department. You may need to find
a certain spin to make your application attractive, and you can certainly
benefit from support both professional and friendly. This article focuses on
the so-called investment visa category for those who wish to run their own
businesses or work as freelancers. This type of visa would give you the maximum
amount of freedom to do business in Hong Kong.
This visa would suit those planning to establish themselves independently in
Hong Kong, or those joining a spouse who is already working. 

What the Immigration Department Wants 

The Immigration Department is looking for evidence that your
business: 

1. is viable and will not fail
   or go bankrupt 
2. contributes 'significantly' to
   Hong Kong's economy 
3. adds something special to
   Hong Kong (e.g. it does not take jobs from Hong Kong people, it adds something
   needed in the marketplace, it contributes something desirable to other Hong
   Kong businesses) 

In your visa
application, you'll want to include 'proof' that you meet these three
requirements. Obviously there is a lot of room for interpretation and you can
be creative as you think of ways that you and your business meet these
requirements. Here are a few examples of how people I know have met these
requirements. 

Examples of Successful
Cases: 

Specialized Professional
Services 

In 2000 I applied for an
investment visa for my own company so that I could provide business and career
coaching in Hong Kong. As a generally cautious person, I was quite concerned
about being turned down for the visa. I was very keen on starting this business
and I didn't have an attractive plan B. I felt my chances of success would be hampered
by the fact that I was planning to work from home and there was a low
likelihood of my company ever being a significant employer. Despite those
disadvantages, my proposal also had several highlights to make it attractive to
the Immigration Department. I was planning a progressive service business with
distinctive training requirements that were not at all common in Hong Kong at the time. I had substantial savings and
therefore significant capital to support the business. Since I was already well
connected in Hong Kong, I could provide references from locals who pointed out
the potential for my business and their intention to work with me. 

Believe me, I was full of doubt and felt afraid of the consequences if
I could not secure the visa. At certain times I was so relieved to speak to a
few people who had trodden the path before me successfully, even with less
going for them than I felt I had. Sometimes a little encouragement and positive
thinking is all we need to carry on down a difficult road. 

Small Trading Company 

One
of those people who encouraged me had recently started a small trading company
dealing in specialty low-value products between China
and Holland.
His disadvantages were quite opposite to mine. He had low capital investment,
no higher education and he was trading in low profile, 'cheap' products.
However, he was persistent in leveraging the advantages that he had. In
particular he emphasized the language skills and relationships with Dutch
customers that made his business possible and which could not be easily
replaced in Hong Kong. He also demonstrated
his very open attitude by providing masses of paperwork to show sincerity and
establish trust with the Immigration Departments. His partnership with another
businessman showed that he had local knowledge, connections and potential for
the company to grow and employ locals. 

Small
Computer Services Company 

Another friend
started a small computer service business in 1999 and had quite a bit of
trouble maintaining her work visa, although in the end she was successful. Her
business must have been at the lower limit of what the Immigration Department
would accept. She was operating a home-based sole-proprietorship and was
relatively cash poor. She was however very highly technically qualified. Each
time she had to renew her visa, every year or so, she was asked to provide more
documentation to prove the viability of her company. Every other business owner
I've spoken to about visas shared the experience that once the visa was issued,
annual or bi-annual renewals were very simple. However, she did manage to
maintain the visa until she received permanent residency at last. 

These anecdotes demonstrate the value of having your Investment Visa
Application be backed up by a well-thought out and well-documented Business
Plan that clearly demonstrates how you bring extra value to Hong Kong.
Remember, the Immigration Department Officials want to document their own
decisions with concrete evidence so that it cannot be said that they made a
mistake. Give them what they want! 

Here are some
things to include: 

• Reference letters
  from existing Hong Kong businesses that support or collaborate with
  yours. 
• Letters of intent from potential customers
  or suppliers. 
• Degrees, certificates, diplomas and
  awards, even if not directly relevant. 
• Records of
  your business to date such as financial records, customer lists etc. 
• Business
  projections and plans for sales, staffing, profits, investments etc. 
• Media
  reports supporting your business's growth potential 

Most importantly, you must be able to describe what makes you and your
business special in Hong Kong so that the Immigration Department can understand
the value you bring. Apart from attaining your visa, knowing your business's
value is also a key step to marketing, building and growing a successful
business.

For assistance in securing a business visa, please
contact one of Hong Kong’s business immigration consultancies such as Emigra
Asia at
www.emigra.com.hk or Dearson Winyard International at
www.dwiglobal.com.

It’s the typical Hong
Kong expatriate story: “I came for 3 months and stayed 3 years.”
“I came for 2 years and stayed 20.” Hong Kong is an attractive place to live
and work and therefore many people find themselves looking for ways to stay on
after the initial contracts that brought them here. 

There are basically two ways for foreign working people to stay in
Hong Kong and make a living : find a job with a company willing to sponsor you,
or start a business and get your own work visa. 

Most
expatriates arrive in Hong Kong having been moved by a multi-national
corporation. If you can get such a job, the company will look after the visa
application process, a relatively simple procedure. If you remain with this
company long enough to complete the 7-year residency requirement, you can apply
for Permanent Residency status and you will no longer need work visas. You
would then be free to continue living and working in Hong
Kong as you wish. 

But how many people
stay with one company for 7 years these days? Most expatriate jobs with
multi-nationals are designed for shorter stays and require you to move back to
your home country, or elsewhere, after two or three years. If you quit or lose
the job, you lose your visa. If you are determined to stay in Hong
Kong, you may be tied to staying with a job you don’t like because
of the risk of losing your visa, especially if you have family members who are
dependent on you. If you wish to change jobs, you will have to find another
company that is willing to sponsor you. Companies that hire a lot of expats may
have trouble getting visas for new hires. The Hong Kong government wants to
encourage companies to provide employment for locals rather than relying solely
or largely on expats. 

One of the best ways to make
the transition from global corporate employee, or global corporate spouse, to
local Hong Kong resident, is to start your own business and get your own work
visa. Thankfully this process is quite simple and the policies and procedures
are relatively transparent, especially compared to many other Asian countries.
Once you receive your visa, there is more freedom in how you do business than
you would working for a corporation, as you can adjust the nature of your
business as it develops. For those willing to commit to Hong
Kong as their home base, it is an excellent option. 

In order to convince the Hong Kong Immigration Department to issue you
a business visa, you will have to consider the following questions. What
special skills and knowledge do you possess that are not readily available in Hong Kong? What can you do to ensure your business will
be viable to support you and your dependents? How will your business contribute
to Hong Kong economically and socially in
terms of supporting the community or stimulating other aspects of the economy?
As a foreigner, you must capitalize on your differences from other Hong Kong people in order to make the case for your visa.
For assistance in how to do this, contact one of Hong Kong’s business
immigration consultancies such as Emigra Asia at www.emigra.com.hk or
Dearson Winyard International at www.dwiglobal.com. 

And in order to complete a successful transition to self-employed
business owner, you’ll need to consider carefully your business plan and your
lifestyle plan in order to cope with the additional stresses and freedoms of
working for yourself. For assistance and support in making the transition and
creating a business that suits you perfectly, contact me through www.spaxman.com.hk. 

Here’s the caveat. Make sure you really want to live in Hong Kong and are not just taken by the corporate expat
lifestyle of expense accounts, large flats and maids. As a small business owner
you will most likely choose a more modest lifestyle until you have established
a healthy business. Living expenses compare to other large cosmopolitan urban
centres where space is at a premium. In other words, it can be expensive.
However business opportunities abound and both the government and city culture
make Hong Kong an excellent place to start a business. Most likely this aspect
of living in Hong Kong is part of the reason
you want to establish yourself in here in the first place.