A shot in the dark... and soon to be in HK

Hello there - hope you can help - this forum looks busy and interesting!


I am going to move to HK in the next 4 months (on an unmarried partner visa - my boyfriend lives and works in HK; I've visited 3 times) - so I know I won't be able to work or study...however... at some point after that I will look into changing my visa status (if I manage to get a work permit or if we, ahem, get married one day) and just wanted to get an idea about a few things.


OK - I am about to complete a qualification in nutritional therapy here in the UK. Doing a bit of research for future potential career prospects, I've found a few complementary therapy clinics and a couple of nutritional therapists in HK. My goal is to work for myself or with someone else in that field in the future (though obviously there are many things to sort out in the meantime before I could legally do that in HK). As I do not speak Chinese, my idea would be to serve the English-speaking ex-pat population.


I wonder if anybody on the forum has consulted any nutritional therapists for any health issues they've had; or if anyone can offer information e.g. what do people think of those kinds of therapies? Do people use nutritional supplements? (I've seen some information that the supplement industry is growing dramatically over there, and I've seen some familiar brands in the health shops in/near Sheung Wan.) I'm just concerned that it would be a very tough market to make a living in, being able to cater to only a small percentage of the population.


A friend of mine used to live in HK and said it might go down well (she used to go to a centre with an osteopath and all sorts of other practitioners) - but that was five years ago and I just feel a bit ignorant about the scene (and obviously a bit daunted by starting off almost inexperienced and in a totally new country/culture).


I'm basically trying to get an idea of how high the odds are stacked against me...


Your comments will be appreciated... thanks!

Your first problem is a visa - there is no such thing as an unmarried partner visa. YOU may be able to apply for extension of stay close to the point of expiry of your 6 months tourist stamp.


To be honest the market in HK is small. Those that are here are charging a premium, without doing that they would not survive. I've been here quite a few years, know more than a fair few people and don't know anyone who has used any nutritional specialist. So it's possible but you'll have your work cut out to make a living.

Many thanks for the reply! It's as I thought... :-(


(By the way, I'm using a visa agency so I'm not sure of the official title of the visa category but the guy said it is 'unofficial' as so many westerners cohabit before marriage. I believe it is the de facto partner visa? I'm coming to HK to submit my application so it all seems above-board... )

Yeah - intention to marry - that kind of thing. Though I do worry now that we are being scammed! It's a 6-month renewable visa; you have to prove that the relationship is serious etc. etc.


1) Yeah - understandable. Though there seem to be some areas in HK with lots of supplement shops and a couple of clinics / health 'centres' with acupuncture/osteopathy etc. (aimed at English-speakers / foreigners). Or is that really the fringe of the fringe? (Just trying to get an idea of the market out there... surely it can't be that leftfield... can it?)


2) Yes - 'nutritional therapy' is in the UK what they call 'nutritional counseling' in North America. Not a medical doctor and not someone who has studied 'dietetics' nor someone who does laboratory work, but someone you go to if you have e.g. constipation, overweight, even PMS etc. and you try to address the underlying cause/s through nutrition (diet, supplements, some lifestyle stuff)... you go to them, have a consultation of around an hour and they tell you what's 'wrong' and then together you figure out a practical plan of action (diet and supplements) to address that; something targeted to the client's needs and their lifestyle/personality at the pace they can cope with. (Akin to a personal trainer for your diet.) Some nutritional therapists have been trained in clinical nutrition or in naturopathy - depends which country they studied in.


3) I have heard that is a more viable option.


Many thanks for your help.

Yeah - the visa agency has given us a list of things to prove our intention to marry.


Hopefully during the time that I am not allowed to work, I can try to get used to HK and see what the possibilities are first-hand. I will apply for another visa category - just probably not in the first 2 months after I arrive (he is already there).


As to the work possibilities in the future, I've tried to contact the Hong Kong Nutrition Association but they never reply. I might have to e-stalk the nutritionists in HK instead, as my next port of call!


Anyway, thanks so much for your help though - it's a bit daunting going somewhere new (again) and this time it's because of someone else. A similar theme in some other parts of the forum.

I am not sure if the above posters are correct about the getting married bit but I have two girlfriends here in HK who have been living with their boyfriends for over six years. They just exit HK to get their new visa stamp. Never had a problem.

Yes, and that would be on a tourist visa. Sometimes it works and sometimes people get pulled up at the airport, given a 7 or 14 day visa and told not to come back, usually for 2 years. Immigration have been getting stricter recently. Worth the risk? And remember they are unable to work on that tourist visa, again immigration have been out and about recently spot checking workplaces.


So legally the only way is to get married and get a dependant visa. No issues then at all.

Yeah, people on tourist visas can get away with it for a while, but it's a lottery and I don't want to take the chance - it happens a lot in the UK as well - even my sister was not allowed in although she had only innocent intentions.


I have finally found out the 'official' name of the visa I am applying for now : prolonged visitor visa. It's a renewable 6-month visa.

if your partner has a company visa then u can get married and u will be granted of dependent visa then u can work in hongkong