Work Visa For Hong Kong From India

You have two main options for staffing and recruiting in Hong Kong: handling the tasks yourself and working with a hiring agency. You can post job vacancies with the Labor Department (LD) through the Interactive Employment Service. You can also advertise with the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) if you want to employ graduate trainees or individuals with disabilities. If you work with a hiring agency, make sure they’re licensed to do the work and able to provide the results you want.

Even when you follow the law, you could end up hiring the wrong employees. Hong Kong’s culture emphasizes work, with employees working long hours to help a company succeed. You must develop ways to screen employees for the skills you require. You can also contact their old employers, ask for a portfolio, or establish a trial run to make sure they can do the work required.

Craft your interview questions in such a way that ensures you can understand the employee’s qualifications as well as their personal attributes. Staffing your Hong Kong business means choosing people you can work with every day. Make sure you feel confident in your new employee’s skills and qualifications as well as their ability to fit with your team.

Laws Against Discrimination in Hong Kong

Because of the diverse workforce in this country regarding ethnicity, gender, and age, Hong Kong recruiting practices should eliminate discriminatory practices. It is unlawful to discriminate based on gender, age, marital status, pregnancy, breastfeeding, disability, family status, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity.

The region’s Labor Department has guidelines on how to prevent forms of discrimination. These guidelines include the following:

• Use consistent selection material for hiring.
• Ensure equal opportunities and choose candidates based on skills, experience, and ability to perform the job.
• Train your employees who will handle applications and interviews to avoid discriminatory acts.
• Do not list age, gender, marital status, race, religion, or language as employment qualifications in advertising materials.
• Avoid questions that could lead to discrimination on applications.
• Ask only interview questions that relate to the job requirements.
• Professionally design any tests related to selection purposes so that they specifically relate to the job requirements.

It’s notoriously difficult for companies to obtain work visas in Hong Kong, as the country typically fills vacancies with local professionals. However, knowing the right qualifications and doing the proper research will help you demonstrate that your employees are well-qualified for the job. Plus, the visa application process in the country is free, which is a benefit for many companies.

Types of Work Visas in Hong Kong

Most people moving to Hong Kong for a job apply for a work visa under the General Employment Policy (GEP). These types of visas are usually issued only for a specific period. To be eligible, candidates must have a confirmed job offer with an employer who is sponsoring them.

Some other common Hong Kong work permits include the following:

• Technology talent admission scheme: This work visa is for professionals who specialize in certain technology sectors, including artificial intelligence and financial technologies.
• Training: The training option is a work visa for individuals who are looking to learn a skill or gain specific knowledge and who want to live in Hong Kong for up to a year.
• Quality migrant admission scheme: Expats from certain professions can relocate to Hong Kong using this visa. The program has 4,000 slots for IT, financial, legal, and creative individuals who do not have an existing job offer.
• Immigration arrangements for non-local graduates: This visa is for people with a degree from Hong Kong. Within six months of graduation, they can apply to stay in the city for up to a year to look for local employment.

Requirements to Obtain Hong Kong Work Visas

If your employees are applying for a Hong Kong work permit under the GEP,  they need to include a statement from you describing the position. The Immigration Department will assess the application for:

• A graduate degree
• Necessary professional experience
• Salary and working conditions comparable to local standards
• Contribution to the local economy
• Lack of a local to fill the particular position

Sometimes it’s difficult for companies to prove that they couldn’t find a local to fill a position, especially if they’re recruiting individuals from around the world. That said, the immigration authorities typically accept the proof they receive.

If your employees have family they would like to bring to Hong Kong, they’ll need to meet additional requirements. For example, employees must prove that they have a genuine marriage and dependent children under the age of 18. They need to show that they can financially support a family and provide the right accommodations. If a spouse wants to work in Hong Kong as well, they can do so through an extra work permit.

Application Process

First, employees need to fill out the right application form for their requested visa and attach all the required documents. If the documents are in any other language besides English or Chinese, the employee must provide a translation. They will also need a valid travel document from their home country.

Applications can be mailed or handed in personally. They can go either directly to the Hong Kong Immigration Department or the nearest Chinese mission. If your employee is a foreign national living on the Chinese Mainland, they can submit their visa application in Beijing at the Hong Kong government’s office. Another option is to file the application through a local sponsor, such as a prospective employer.

Conclusion: Other Important Considerations

While the typical employment visa is valid only in the short-term, employees can get an extension once it expires. They should apply at least four weeks before the expiration date. Most employment visas will follow a two-three-three-year extension pattern. The only exception is a fixed employment contract that runs out before the visa expires, in which the extension will be shortened accordingly.