HONG KONG WORK VISA
IMMIGRATION | EMPLOYMENT | INVESTMENT | RELOCATION
Working As A Stepping Stone To Migrate To Hong Kong
The advantages of working in Hong Kong are numerous. When it comes to employment-related relocation, it is one of the most well-liked locations. Now that millions of immigrants have made Hong Kong their home and established successful careers there, people are moving there in search of better job opportunities. International employees who desire to come to Hong Kong for greater career opportunities are given excellent employment opportunities by multinational corporations and the city-capitalist state’s economy.
People from all backgrounds are treated equally in Hong Kong, whether they are native or immigrant, male or female. The city has a great history of accepting foreign workers and giving them equal opportunities to succeed. You can pursue a job in important industries like IT or tech, finance, human resources, advertising, and many other industries in Hong Kong, which also offers fantastic lifestyle prospects. Hong Kong is the greatest location for employment prospects for a variety of factors in addition to greater professional opportunities.
Benefits of Working in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has an excellent healthcare system, so working there means you won’t have to worry about health issues or troubles. No matter if you are a permanent or temporary resident of Hong Kong, if you have a valid visa and ID card you will have access to the city’s free public healthcare system and many other perks of living there. The Hong Kong government offers absolutely no-cost public healthcare to foreign workers. As a foreigner, you will receive top-notch care without payment or occasionally for a little fee.
Hong Kong provides new parents with parental leave benefits. If they are expecting a child, every worker in Hong Kong is entitled to parental leave. The policy stipulates that the woman employees are entitled to 14 weeks of maternity leave and the male employees are likewise entitled 5 days of parental leave to take care the wife and new born baby.
You are entitled to a number of legally mandated employee benefits if you work full-time in Hong Kong. The Employment Ordinance governs compensation in Hong Kong; the amount you receive will depend on the type of contract you have.
- Paid Public Holiday
- Law’s applicable to foreign employee
- Paid sick leave
- Paid maternity and paternity leave to employees
- Employees will get a minimum amount of notice before being terminated
- Paid annual leave
- Working hours in Hong Kong will be limited
Hong Kong has a great work culture and offers appropriate employment prospects. When you begin working there, you may at first discover that Hong Kong’s workplace culture differs significantly from that of your home country. The nicest aspect of Hong Kong’s workplace culture is the politeness with which coworkers and subordinates interact. No matter your immigration status, everyone will treat you equally and will extend a warm welcome to you. Nobody will violate your privacy or cause you any discomfort. Hong Kong residents highly cherish their personal space and privacy. In comparison to other nations, Hong Kong’s working hours are also very modest, giving you more time to spend with your family.
Facts About Working in Hong Kong
The people who have gone through the process of migrating to the Hong Kong usually agree that Hong Kong has a number of factors that will attract qualified and experienced immigrants from the rest of world. These include the following:
- Comparably high pay
- Exceptional career prospects
- Geographic location, particularly in relation to China’s mainland
- Simple and quick immigration processes
- Low tax rates
- Minimal overt racism
- Top-notch telecom
- A workforce that is largely tri- or bilingual
- Minimal threat of terrorism
- The legal system
- Exceptional low crime rate
Getting Work Visa In Hong Kong
Valid Hong Kong Work Visas are required for foreigners by the Immigration Department before taking up any sort of employment whether it is paid or unpaid, short-term or long-term, unless you have been provided a Right of Abode, a Right to Land or an Unconditional Stay in Hong Kong.
Generally, in order to successfully apply for a Hong Kong Work Visa, there are several criteria Immigration will be focused on:
- An individual should have secured an employment/job offer before the visa application is submitted;
- An individual should possess unique qualifications and relevant working experience that are not readily available in Hong Kong in order to fulfill the visa requirement.
- An individual should be placed in a management level job position and the salary offered should be met with market rate.
- The sponsoring company should be financial stable and healthy.
- The sponsoring company should have local staffs and office premise has already been set u
The processing time of a Hong Kong working visa is normally 4-6 weeks from the date of submission. Upon approval of the application, a two-year work visa will be granted. The applicant will then be allowed to apply a resident Hong Kong Identity card.
The applicant should apply and be granted a work visa before entering Hong Kong to take up his/her employment.
If an individual comes to Hong Kong before proceeding a work visa application, or an individual is recruited locally, and then subsequently applies for a work visa whilst in Hong Kong, this will affect a change of status application from a visitor visa to a work visa. This type of visa application is comparatively more difficult to process, and requires an explanation as to why an individual did not apply for a work visa before he/she came. Thus, if at all possible, it is advisable to submit the work visa application prior to entering.
In situations where an overseas company wishes to transfer an employee internally to their Hong Kong office, these types of applications can be fairly straightforward as long as the employee has been employed by that company for some time. If the applicant has only been employed by the company overseas for a few months, then the application will probably be treated as a “new” application instead of an “internal transfer” application, and thus more supporting evidence as to why the position could not be filled locally will be necessary .
Documents Required:
- A Visa application form ID(E) 990A with the applicant’s signatures;
- A Visa application form ID(E) 990B with the sponsoring company’s signatures;
- Copy of the applicant’s passport;
- Copy of the applicant’s service contract with the sponsoring employer;
- Copies of the sponsoring employer’s business incorporation documents;
- Copy of the sponsoring employer’s financial documents.
Processing Time:
- The visa application process normally takes 4 to 8 weeks from the date of submission.
Remarks:
- The initial visa once obtained is valid for a maximum of 24 months (sometimes less).
- Once the visa has been approved, the applicant is eligible to apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card.
- If the applicant continues to work with the same employer, he/she can apply a work visa extension when the visa is going to expire. Under normal circumstances, he/she will be granted a 3-year extension.
- If the applicant resigns and finds a new job, he/she has to apply change of sponsorship even the work visa is not expired yet.