1. From which date does the 7 years of permanent residence in Hong Kong start to count?

For One-way Permit (OWP), it is counted from the day of exit from the port of entry with the OWP, while for other visas, it is counted from the day of activation of status upon first entry into Hong Kong with the working visa extension hong kong.

2. Do I have to live in Hong Kong during the 7 years before transferring to permanent residence?

The requirement for permanent residence in Hong Kong is "having ordinarily resided in Hong Kong, China for a continuous period of not less than 7 years". The more connection or contribution you have with Hong Kong, the better.

3. Can I change my residence status to permanent residence after 7 years?

If you do not want to apply for permanent residence, you can only keep extending your stay. However, the Immigration Department may require you to provide a reasonable explanation as to why you do not want to take up permanent residence.

4. After 7 years, if I do not apply for permanent residence, will I be given a permanent endorsement?

No. Except for Hong Kong Immigrant Investors who do not want to apply for permanent residence after 7 years, they can choose to apply for unconditional stay status.

5. What if I fail to convert to permanent residence after 7 years?

There are many opportunities to transfer to permanent residence. Failure to transfer to permanent residence for the first time will not affect the second application.

If we are only insufficiently connected to Hong Kong's economy or managing our length of stay, as long as we are able to renew our visa in time, there is still the possibility of staying in Hong Kong as a Hong Kong resident and we can choose the right time to apply to the Immigration Department for permanent residence again afterwards.

6. Will taking up permanent residence affect the Mainland's household registration?

Yes, if you do not want to apply for transfer of permanent residence you can only keep renewing your visa. However, the Immigration Department will discuss the issue on a case-by-case basis. The main difference is whether you have applied for a Home Visit Permit.

Hong Kong Social Status + no Home Visit Permit: There is no direct impact on the Mainland Hukou and there is no need to cancel it.

Hong Kong Permanent Resident + Home Visit Permit: We need to cancel your Mainland city hukou first, and then with the cancellation can prove to apply for a Home Visit Permit.

Applicants must have a Home Visit Permit under the following circumstances.

Apply for the Joint Entrance Examination for Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese.

Apply for DSE and use the results to apply for admission to mainland universities; and

enrolling in some purely expatriate international schools in the Mainland.

Eligibility for home purchase in cities with restriction on home purchase, and identification of Hong Kong home buyers who need to provide a Home Visit Permit.

7. Will taking permanent residence affect the social security in the Mainland?

The issue of social security is a situation to be discussed, mainly depending on whether the mainland has abolished the hukou and whether there is a residence permit.

8. Will taking permanent residence affect mainland assets?

This is also considered in two cases:

After obtaining permanent residence, you still retain your hukou in Mainland China, and you can manage your assets in Mainland China as usual, without having to do any special treatment.

After obtaining permanent residence and applying for a Home Visit Permit and canceling the Mainland's hukou, if you still have unprocessed personal assets in the Mainland, you have to apply for a "same person" notarization, which simply means proving that your current Hong Kong ID card and your previous Mainland ID card are the same person.

If you want to get Hong Kong permanent residence status by applying for the Hong Kong Talent / Talent Program, it is recommended that you can still do often go to Hong Kong, more work or life with Hong Kong to produce contact, which is also conducive to the successful renewal of the visa as well as the subsequent application for permanent residence status!