Posted by
HK777
15 yrs ago
Hi
Completely forgot to renew my working visa, so I'm going to immigration tomorrow. I have a letter from my company but I believe I also need to write a letter explaining why I haven't renewed my visa. I'm not sure what I should write thou. I'm telling them that I won't be working for the company until my visa is sorted out which is true but should I just say 'Sorry, I forgot?"
Advice please
Thanks
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"Sorry I forgot" doesn't really advance your case. There are other things which you should consider. First of all, though, when did your visa expire? Have you continued to work throughout this period? What does your employer's letter say? Both you and your employer have committed a breach; you for working without a valid employment visa and your employer for employing someone without a valid employment visa. And yes, they will want to know why you didn't renew it.
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Hi there,
If I remember correctly, I knew someone in the same situation. They explained to immigration and I think it was all totally fine... I think just be honest that you forgot, apologise profusely, assure them you will refrain from working until the new visa is sorted out.
Why would they want to penalise you as long as you are paying taxes and you made an honest mistake?
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What people should realise is that the Immigration Department has discretion on whether to take action or not. So just because one person gets away with it does not mean that another person will. Someone being in HKG without a valid visa for a week is going to be treated differently to someone who has been here for 5 years without a visa. So you can't really say your friend was in the same situation because you don't know that the two cases were identical. I think the sooner you go to the Immigration Department to explain, the better.
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