Finished contract: How do I process a domestic helper visa without an agency?
Domestic helpers who successfully finish their contract are permitted by the Hong Kong Immigration to apply for a change of employer visa locally.
As a rule, the Immigration Department will not approve applications to process locally when changing employers in the HKSAR within the two-year contract. Therefore, if you are hiring a domestic helper who is unable to finish their contract, they are expected to travel back to their home country and process the new visa application overseas.
There are 2 contract types that the Hong Kong Immigration will consider in processing the change of employer application locally:
- Termination due to Special Case
- Termination due to Finished Contract
In this article, we will briefly discuss how employers can process a domestic helper visa without an agency if they successfully finished their contract in Hong Kong.
Where can I find more information?
- Contact the Immigration Department directly for more information on the Foreign Domestic Helper visa process.
- Contact the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) or the Indonesian Consulate directly for more information on contract verification/notarisation.
- Contact us at the Fair Agency to know more about our Direct Hire service.
How do I determine that my helper can apply as a finished contract but early release?
At Fair Employment Agency, we take great care in verifying the termination paperwork of the domestic helper you want to hire. The Immigration Department requires documentary proof before accepting any change of employer application, and the term “early release” is not specifically defined in any of the guidebooks and regulations. If you worry that the documents and explanations supplied by the domestic helper are insufficient, we suggest you hire our team of expert consultants to provide excellent guidance and ensure your peace of mind.
Ask us about our Agency Protection Policy – We offer 50% service fee refund on our Direct Hire services
When do I need to use an agency?
For Filipino domestic helpers, you can process the change of employer visa by yourselves without an agency. Follow our quick guide below.
For Indonesian domestic helpers, the Indonesian consulate requires the change of employer application to be processed with an employment agency. You can go directly to our Finished Contract – Direct Hire Services page for more details.
How to hire a finished contract Filipino domestic helper?
You can submit the change of employer application no earlier than 4 weeks before the expiry of the current domestic helper visa. In our experience, four weeks is more than enough time to complete the paperwork, but when you factor in the processing time at the Immigration and related expenses for both employer and helper during this period, the job of the agency is to get everything sorted out and prepared for you so that things can get done as quickly as possible.
The processing timeline at Hong Kong Immigration is from 4 to 6 weeks. If you foresee that you will be traveling outside of Hong Kong and worry about the timeliness of the new visa release, we suggest you use our team of expert consultants and liaison officers to provide excellent service and ensure your peace of mind.
Post-deployment support – We process your contracts and partner with you for the whole contract duration
There are 2 parts to applying for a domestic helper visa for Filipinos. Steps 1 to 4 refers to processes required at Hong Kong Immigration, while steps 5 and 6 are required at the Migrant Workers Office at the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong.
If you prefer to submit the visa application of the Filipino domestic helper by yourself, we strongly recommend that you do it as early as possible and agree on the new contract particulars with the domestic helper to prevent issues later on. The specific items you should discuss:
- Home Leave – Will the domestic helper go home immediately before starting the new contract? Read our FAQs on domestic helper home leave before making a decision.
- Annual Leave – Can domestic helpers receive cash for the unused annual leave? Read our FAQs on domestic helper annual leave and communicate the preferred arrangement with each other.
- Sick Leave – How are sick leave days accrued? Read our FAQs on domestic helper sick leave if you want to know more about the domestic helper’s sickness allowance.
- Medical Certificate – Is the medical examination necessaryl? Read our article on medical certificate presentation and the tests available in Hong Kong to ensure the domestic helper’s fitness for employment.
STEP 1: Pick up the contracts and forms
Employers or domestic helpers must pick up the contract and relevant forms from the Hong Kong Immigration Department.
Address:
Foreign Domestic Helpers Section
4/F, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters
61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories
STEP 2: Gather supporting documents for submission
- 4 copies of the signed contracts (ID407)
- Immigration forms (ID988A, ID988B)
- Applicants’ HKID, valid passport
- Helper’s visa, landing slip, last contract
- Employer’s residential and financial proof
For more on supporting documents, see this article.
STEP 3: Submit documents to Hong Kong Immigration
If the domestic helper’s limit of stay is between 4 weeks to 10 days:
- Submit the documents online via the GovHK E-services Portal
- Drop-in or post to Foreign Domestic Helpers Section, 4/F, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories
If the domestic helper’s limit of stay is less than 10 days, then you must use the following ways:
- Submit the documents online via the GovHK E-services Portal
- Make an appointment or do an in-person follow up of your submission at Hong Kong Immigration Department (Foreign Domestic Helpers Section, 4/F, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories)
NOTE: These options may not be available to all kinds of change of employer applications. Please call the Immigration Hotline for General Enquiries or contact an agent for help.
STEP 4: Processing and visa release
Once you have submitted the change of employer application, the Hong Kong Immigration will send you an acknowledgment letter. You can enquire online about the status of that application here: GovHK: Online Application Status Enquiry (www.gov.hk)
Once the visa is approved, you will receive a “General Demand Note” (GDN) with payment instructions. Settle the fee accordingly.
STEP 5: Employment contract verification at the Philippine Consulate
To ensure the safe return of the domestic helper from the home leave, domestic helpers need to secure a new Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) from the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong.
Address:
Migrant Workers Office Hong Kong
2902 29/F, United Centre,
95 Queensway, Admiralty
Employers must ensure the successful verification of the employment contract to keep themselves protected under Hong Kong and Philippine laws. If the domestic helper keeps a busy schedule and is unable to verify the contracts by themselves, we suggest you avail of our direct hire service from start to finish along with our post-deployment support and client care facilities for 2 years.
To know more about the Philippine Consulate requirements and download the relevant forms, visit their website here: Verification of Employment Contracts (mwohk-ph.com)
STEP 6: Collect the notarized contracts
Upon payment of the verification fee and OWWA membership, the domestic helper will receive the receipt and a notice of the date when the contract will be released.
Failure to collect on the specified date may risk further delay of contract release.
How to hire a finished contract Indonesian domestic helper?
The Indonesian Consulate (KJRI) requires all domestic helper visa applications to be processed through an employment agency. The agency must submit the change of employer application no earlier than four weeks before the expiry of the current domestic helper visa.
The process is different from the Filipino domestic helper change of employer application, but the timeline at Hong Kong Immigration is the same which takes from 4 to 6 weeks. We suggest you use our team of expert consultants and liaison officers to provide excellent service, quick responses and fast deployment for your peace of mind.
No hidden fees – We promise transparent pricing and professional service
STEP 1: Discuss with the domestic helper about the job offer, salary and accommodation.
If you are planning to apply for the new visa of the Indonesian domestic helper, we strongly recommend that you do it as early as possible and agree on the new contract particulars with the domestic helper to prevent issues later on. The specific items you should discuss:
Home Leave – Will the domestic helper go home immediately before starting the new contract? Read our FAQs on domestic helper home leave before making a decision.
Annual Leave – Can domestic helpers receive cash for the unused annual leave? Read our FAQs on domestic helper annual leave and communicate the preferred arrangement with each other.
Sick Leave – How are sick leave days accrued? Read our FAQs on domestic helper sick leave if you want to know more about the domestic helper’s sickness allowance.
STEP 2: Review the medical report of the domestic helper.
The Indonesian Consulate requires domestic helpers to present a medical certificate at the start of every contract. Read our article on medical certificate presentation and the tests available in Hong Kong to ensure the domestic helper’s fitness for employment.
STEP 3: Gather supporting documents for submission.
- 4 copies of the signed contracts (ID407)
- Immigration forms (ID988A, ID988B)
- Applicants’ HKID, valid passport
- Helper’s visa, landing slip, last contract
- Employer’s residential and financial proof
For more on supporting documents, see this article.
STEP 4: Processing timeline and document release.
The contract notarization at the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong will take up to 10 working days after all documents have been submitted.
The visa processing at Hong Kong Immigration will take up to 6 weeks after submitting all documents and signed application forms.
Once approved, the agency will contact both the employer and domestic helper for the release of her submitted documents, including the approved visa and notarized employment contracts.
In summary
- Finished contract candidates are the easiest to apply for change of employer visas.
- To prove an early release helper candidate, the Immigration Department will require a valid release letter. Fair Agency can help you with this when you use our Direct Hire service.
- If you do choose to use an employment agency, be wary of agencies that run on unethical practices or sneak in hidden fees throughout the hiring process.
Last updated on September 12th, 2024
