Special cases: How do I process a domestic helper visa without an agency?

Hiring a Filipino domestic helper without an agency

There are certain circumstances where you can apply for a domestic helper visa without an agency. All domestic helpers who are terminated prematurely should leave Hong Kong within 14 days of termination. However, there are some circumstances under which Hong Kong Immigration may treat the case as a “special case”. In these cases, the domestic helper can process locally in Hong Kong without returning home.

Although there is no written guidance on this, in our experience, domestic helpers who are leaving one of the following situations may be treated as a “special case”:

their employer died
their employer relocated outside of Hong Kong
their employer entered a period of financial difficulty

Note: the employer in question must be the legal employer who signed the contract

If this is the case, you may be able to process the domestic helper visa without an agency. But we are also happy to take care of this for you. We will help prepare the documents, make the submissions, and keep you in the loop of all the important updates. No hidden fees, and we never charge fees to workers. See our pricing and what’s included HERE. To get started, just fill up our form and we will get back to you.

Fair Agency’s Free, Step-by-Step Guide to Hiring a Domestic Helper without an Agency:

STEP 1: Pick up & sign the contracts

Employers or domestic helpers can pick up the contracts and supporting information from Hong Kong Immigration. You don’t need an appointment for this.

You will be given four copies of the contract. All four copies should be signed by the employer and domestic helper and should be completed identically. If there are any mistakes, sign next to the revision.

One copy each for:
- the employer,
- the domestic helper,
- HK Immigration submission, and
- Submission at Philippine Overseas Labor Office

STEP 2: Submit documents to Hong Kong Immigration

The earliest the application can be submitted to Immigration is 4 weeks before the contract end date. Please note that Immigration requires the Worker to finish one contract before starting a new one.

Domestic helpers should submit the contract and supporting documents to Hong Kong Immigration in one of the following ways:

Book an appointment online
Walk-in interview at Hong Kong Immigration Department (Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai)
NOTE: These options may not be available due to COVID-19 measures, instead a Drop Box may be available for documents: please check Immigration Department’s “Messages from Us” for latest update.

Photocopies of the employer’s:

HKID
Passport and visa (if not a permanent resident),
Proof of address (a recent utility bill is best)
Proof of income (recent bank statements showing a salary deposit of at least HK$15,000 for 3 months or total assets of more than HK$350,000)
Release letter for previous domestic helper (if applicable)

COVID-19 Requirement: Employer must sign an undertaking indicates that employers will arrange for the COVID-19 test and hotel quarantine for their FDHs, and be responsible for the relevant costs when their FDHs are arriving on or after July 25, 2020. The undertaking can be downloaded from the website of ImmD or obtained free of charge from the Immigration Department Headquarters and Immigration Branch Offices.

Photocopies of the domestic helper’s:
- HKID
- Passport
- Visa
- Landing slip
- Previous contract
- Release letter from the previous employer

You can expect an update from them by post about the visa release date. Usually this takes around 2 weeks.

NOTE: There may be several weeks delays to visa release due to COVID-19. Keep copies of documents and note down submission date for reference.

STEP 3: Processing & visa release

Usually, there will be additional in-person appointments at Immigration, however due to COVID, the process has been changed. You will be notified of the visa release date by mail. The timeline for notification varies as it is based on the worker’s last working date.

STEP 4: Pick up visa at Immigration

At this appointment, the visa will be released. Domestic helpers should attend in person with:

Original passport
One copy of contract
Visa fee as stated in the letter (HK$230 or HK$460)

STEP 5: Document Submission for Notarisation

Next, your domestic helper needs to submit two copies of the signed employment contracts to the Consulate of their native country for notarisation. There is a fee for this service and you should reimburse your domestic helper for this.

For Workers from the Philippines, these are the steps:

Attach the completed OFW Information Sheet (here) to the new Employment Contract with other supporting documents (see next point)
Documents for submission:
- Two sets of Original Standard Employment Contract,
- Original and photocopy of the domestic helper’s passport,
- Copy of the new Visa/Printed copy of the new E-Visa,
- Copy of Employer’s Hong Kong ID with contact number written on the same page,
- Copy of the domestic helper’s Hong Kong ID with contact number written on the same page.
- All submissions must include a A4 size brown envelope with employers name and address written, and have prepaid HK$5 postage stamps. Once verified, the contracts will be mailed back.
Book an appointment on the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) website based on your preferred date and time.
Go to Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) at the selected appointment time, located at: Office No.2. 29/F United Centre,
No. 95 Queensway Admiralty, Hong Kong
Hotline Numbers:
POLO: 5529 1880
OWWA: 6345 9324
To POLO, pay HK$196 OWWA Membership Fee and HK$80 Contract Notarisation/Verification Fee. Make sure to keep the original receipt! the OWWA Membership is important for the domestic helper’s future Overseas Employment Clearance (OEC) and needs to be renewed every time they change employers.
* If you have mutually agreed with your worker that he/she will be taking immediate home leave before the start of the 2 year employment, your worker will need to renew his/her OWWA membership in the Philippines.

STEP 6: Pick up Notarised Documents

Processing takes about 6 -9 working days if all documents are submitted correctly. NOTE: there may be delays during times of COVID-19.
Starting 11 October, verified contracts will be mailed back. See advisory: HERE
Then, the notarised documents (contracts) can be picked up at the Philippine Consulate, not POLO.
- Office No.2. 14/F United Centre,
  No. 95 Queensway Admiralty, Hong Kong
  Hotline Numbers:
  POLO: 5529 1880
  OWWA: 6345 9324
To pick up the notarised contracts, bring HKID and original receipt.

Need more information?

Contact the Immigration Department directly for more information on the Foreign Domestic Helper visa process.
Contact the Philippine Overseas Labour Office directly for more information on contract verification/notarisation.
or, if you would like to use Fair Agency’s Direct Hire service, fill up this form & we will get back to you to follow up.

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Last updated on September 30th, 2022