Hong Kong Rejects 455 Domestic Helper Visas Over Suspected Job-Hopping

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department has rejected 455 employment visa applications from foreign domestic helpers over the past three years due to suspected job-hopping, according to data revealed in an official reply.

The rejections account for about 13 percent of more than 3,300 cases investigated by the department’s Special Duties Team, which examined situations involving the suspected abuse of premature contract termination to change employers. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han shared the figures on Wednesday 11 November in a written reply to a lawmaker’s inquiry.

Out of the 3,303 applications investigated, 455 were ultimately rejected. An additional 259 applications were either withdrawn or could not be followed up by authorities.

Sun said that investigators consider a range of factors when assessing the cases, including the helper’s conduct, the employment records of both the helper and the former employer, and the reasons provided for ending the contract early. Investigators may also contact former employers and applicants directly to verify the information provided.

“If a helper is found to have engaged in “job-hopping,” the department will refuse the visa application and require the helper to leave Hong Kong,” Sun said.

Sun said that the case will be taken into account when the department considers any future visa applications from the person concerned.