Compare jurisdictions, side by side.

Hong Kong residency routes:

• General Employment Policy (GEP)
• Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
• Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
• Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) - recently revived
• Dependant routes

UK residency routes:

• Skilled Worker visa - employer-sponsored
• Innovator Founder visa - for endorsed founders
• Global Talent visa - for endorsed experts
• Self-Sponsorship via own company (with substance)
• Family routes - spouse / partner / dependents
• Ancestry visa for eligible Commonwealth nationals

Bulgarian residency routes:

• Employment-based residence
• Business / self-employment routes
• Retirement / pensioner residency
• Family reunification
• EU citizen-derivative routes

Permanent residence typically after 5 years.

Hong Kong Limited companies are widely used for trading and holding structures. Annual filings, audited accounts, and a company secretary are required. Substance expectations and BEPS-driven changes affect ongoing planning.

UK Limited companies are widely used internationally. HMRC corporation tax, VAT thresholds, and PSC (people with significant control) reporting apply. Substance expectations have tightened.

OOD (LLC) and EOOD (single-shareholder LLC) are common structures. Formation is well-documented. Corporate tax is at a flat rate; VAT registration depends on activity.

Local banking has tightened materially; some non-resident structures face long onboarding or rejection. EMIs and Singapore / Dubai banking are common alternatives. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Resident banking is mature but onboarding is slow for non-residents. Many international founders use UK EMIs (Revolut, Monzo Business, etc.) alongside high-street accounts. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.

Personal and corporate banking for residents is broadly accessible. Source-of-funds documentation matters for non-standard cases. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions.

Family relocation is supported on most residency routes. Schools (local, private, ESF, international) are competitive; international school waitlists are real.

Family reunification is supported. Schools (state, private, international) are widely available; competition for top schools is real.

Family reunification is supported. Schools (public, private, English, German, French) are concentrated in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna.

Risks Bordercase watches for in Hong Kong:

• Company-only setups without substance face banking and audit friction
• Banking has tightened materially
• Political / policy shifts must be factored into long-horizon planning
• Annual audit and filing discipline is real

Risks Bordercase watches for in the UK:

• Tax residency triggers (Statutory Residence Test)
• Sole-rep / Innovator endorsement standards have tightened
• Brexit-era operational variation between UK and EU services
• Sponsorship Compliance for licensed sponsors

Risks Bordercase watches for in Bulgaria:

• Tax residency triggers
• VAT classification on cross-border services
• Processing variations between regions
• Euro adoption is in progress - operational planning needed

Typical Hong Kong documents:

• Passport
• CV
• Education certificates
• Employment history
• Company documents (where applicable)
• Family certificates with notarisation

Typical UK documents:

• Passport
• Certificate of Sponsorship (for sponsored routes)
• TB test (for certain nationalities)
• Maintenance funds evidence
• Apostilled / certified documents for family routes

Typical Bulgarian residency documents:

• Passport
• Criminal record certificate
• Proof of address
• Basis for residence (employment, business, etc.)
• Health insurance
• Family certificates

Apostilled and translated to Bulgarian.