Like Tree2Likes

Live in Hong Kong, Work in Shenzhen?

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Napa, California
    Posts
    7

    Live in Hong Kong, Work in Shenzhen?

    First off, I'm so glad I found these forums. I have so many questions, I hardly know where to begin!

    My husband has received a job offer from a California company BUT they want him to relocate. Originally, we discussed moving to Hong Kong, but now they say the office is in Shenzhen, near Window of the World. So is it even possible for us to live in Hong Kong?

    The company is fairly small and closely held. They've never relocated an employee before, it seems, and have no knowledge of work visas, etc. This makes me very nervous. My husband is a graphic designer, and from what I've read, it's not so easy for designers to prove they have the specialized skills to be granted a work visa.

    My husband is traveling to Shenzhen next week to see the work environment and hopefully get some answers about how relocation will be handled. I'll join him for a few days in Shenzhen and a few days in Hong Kong.

    What does the company need to do to make the relocation possible? Will my husband need a work visa for HK, Shenzhen, or both? And if all these details can magically be worked out, which neighborhoods should we look at for housing? Any advice would be much appreciated!


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    13,099

    He is working in SZ, he will need visa for SZ.
    You wont be able to get a visa for HK for work done in SZ and therefore you wont be able to reside in HKG.

    There is a vibrant and very active expat community in SZ; a few google searches will find you forums; also check meetup.com, there are a number of SZ based groups as well.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    768

    Depending on what country he is from, or if he has permanent residency, the best bet would be the APEC travel pass. You can apply online and if you get it, you can enter all of the APEC (except the US) countries, even China with the card and no visa and its good for 3 years. Also, there is almost nobody waiting in the APEC travel pass line either coming or going from China.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Napa, California
    Posts
    7

    Thanks for your quick reply, Howard! It's as I suspected, and I'm not really sure we want to live in Shenzhen. (My husband has been there several times on business for a previous job. He thinks Hong Kong would offer a better living environment and more career opportunities for me.)

    So, this job might not be the best fit, but we'll keep an open mind until we go and check out the expat community in Shenzhen.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Napa, California
    Posts
    7

    Thanks for the insight, packy_crusher. We are US citizens--seems like APEC may not be an option for us yet.

    Last edited by WineCountryGirl; 20-07-2014 at 08:57 AM.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Location Location
    Posts
    1,201

    One option that is popular among those living in Shenzhen is to have their primary residence there and rent a room in Hong Kong for the weekends. You would need to either informally subcontract a room in a flat-share or rent a very small serviced apartment. That really depends on what you can afford.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    6,181
    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    He is working in SZ, he will need visa for SZ.
    Small correction, he need a work visa for China, not SZ. HK has nothing to do with it.

    Living in HK is theoretically possible for him/you. He would need a multiple entry China work visa. For you that will be really hard to get as non-HK resident, and US citizen. So it's single entry for every visit. Or you do the 5-day SH visa with US Citizens now can do too.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    6,452

    Commuting from HK to SZ for work is a big hassle if you aren't Chinese. You have to queue up and get passport stamps, you'll probably need a new passport every couple of month.

    That said, SZ is way nicer to live in than HK if you live in the right places. The whole Overseas Chinese Town area is pretty awesome and much more livable than anything in HK. On the whole SZ is just more spacious and better laid out than HK (except the old areas in Luo Hu) And you can frolic on the grass, which you can't in HK
    Other than that, SZ has a pretty developed expat scene, you might have to look harder to find fellow professionals though. Unqualified people in their 20s teaching English are kinda over-represented.

    I'm sure he is right with the job opportunities though, him working in HK would allow you to freely look for work on your dependent visa. That's not possible in China, you can be glad they let you stay at all You would need to apply for your own work permit with a qualified employer.


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    11,711
    Quote Originally Posted by mrgoodkat:
    Commuting from HK to SZ for work is a big hassle if you aren't Chinese. You have to queue up and get passport stamps, you'll probably need a new passport every couple of month.

    That said, SZ is way nicer to live in than HK if you live in the right places. The whole Overseas Chinese Town area is pretty awesome and much more livable than anything in HK. On the whole SZ is just more spacious and better laid out than HK (except the old areas in Luo Hu) And you can frolic on the grass, which you can't in HK
    Other than that, SZ has a pretty developed expat scene, you might have to look harder to find fellow professionals though. Unqualified people in their 20s teaching English are kinda over-represented.

    I'm sure he is right with the job opportunities though, him working in HK would allow you to freely look for work on your dependent visa. That's not possible in China, you can be glad they let you stay at all You would need to apply for your own work permit with a qualified employer.
    commuting from lo wu to hk is a not big hassle, it's a nightmare, too many people and queues are long

    commuting from lok ma chau to hk is big hassle,

    commuting from shenzhen bay/shekou and sha tau kok is simple and quick
    hongkong7 likes this.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    4,151
    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    commuting from shenzhen bay/shekou and xxx xxx xxx is simple and quick
    Depends when you go. Last couple of times through SZ Bay have been slower than Lo Wu. Definitely not as easy as it used to be.

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast