The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) uses the following terms to distinguish between different types of residents:

Ordinary residence

A person who remains voluntarily and legally in Hong Kong for a fixed purpose (ie studies, business, employment, residence) for a short or long time is ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.

Settled

If a person is ordinarily resident in the HKSAR and is not subject to any limit of stay he is "settled".

Right of Abode

The right of abode means that you can enter the HKSAR and be free from any condition of stay. Furthermore you can not be exported or removed from the HKSAR.

Right to Land

If a person loses the right of Abode he automatically gets the right to land. The only difference between the Right and Abode is that a person with the Right to Land might be transported from the HKSAR.

In either of the above cases you will get an identity card. Currently the government issues two different types of identity cards:

· HK Permanent Identity Card, which states that the holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong

· HK Identity Card, which does not state that right

Becoming an Ordinary Resident

You become an ordinary resident if you successfully applied for a student visa, investment visa of working visa. Another option is Residence as a dependent.

Work Visa

You can get a work visa if a local company wants to employ you and you can proof that someone with your qualifications can not be found locally. Per law any company has to try to fill an open job position with locals first.

Investment Visa

If you want to invest a possible amount of money in a Hong Kong business and can prove your need to be in Hong Kong for that, you can apply for an investment visa. The requirements for this are usually quite high and many people opt for the work visa instead by employing them self in their company.

Student Visa

Check out the details on any university / government school website.

Dependent Visa

If you are married to a person who is permanent resident or is employed in Hong Kong, you can apply for a Dependent Visa and subsequently for an Identity Card.

Getting the Right of Abode + Permanent Identity Card

After seven years of ordinary residence in Hong Kong you can apply to become a permanent resident. Of course you have to actually stay in the HKSAR for most of the time, but the main focus of the government to issue permanent resident status and the right of abode is that you have filed your tax return and paid taxed for the last seven years. Furthermore you may have to demonstrate why you choose Hong Kong as the place for permanent residency.