DDHK.ORG - The Hong Kong government recently issued an updated policy on foreign domestic worker (PRT) work visas. If a domestic worker breaks the work contract, whether terminated or terminated, she is required to immediately return to her country of origin, if her new visa application is not extended by the Immigration Department, because the termination of her contract is considered “suspicious”.
This was announced by the Hong Kong Labor Secretary, Law Chi-kwong, Friday (21/8/2020) afternoon, during a press conference with Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other high-ranking Hong Kong officials. "We want to reduce the length of stay at the boarding house facility to just a few days," Law said, as reported by The Sun Hong Kong.
For foreign domestic workers who have completed their work contract and moved to a new employer, the processing time will be shortened from 4-6 weeks to just 1-2 weeks. "For visa applications with terminated (previous) contracts, the Immigration Department will ask the reason for termination… and in suspicious cases, they will be asked to leave Hong Kong immediately," Law said.
Today, thousands of foreign domestic workers whose contracts have been terminated have been allowed to stay because of flight limitations, or strict travel restrictions imposed in their home countries, make it nearly impossible for them to return. In many cases, foreign domestic workers with terminated contracts are also allowed to process new contracts in Hong Kong and start working for their new employers. This is especially true in exceptional cases, where the cause of termination is relocation or financial problems.
Law said that Immigration Department has been trying to speed up the visa application process for foreign domestic workers after a number of infections were discovered among Indonesian domestic workers living in boarding houses managed by the agency. The Sun Hong Kong reported that in a recent report from the Center for Health Protection (CHP), 17 Indonesian domestic workers living in seven different boarding houses or boarding houses tested positive for Covid-19.
Regarding the new rules for granting visas for foreign domestic workers, the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) Hong Kong gave 3 important points which were excluded from the announcement by the Hong Kong Government, namely:
- The Hong Kong Immigration Department will speed up the processing time for work visas to between 1-2 weeks for foreign domestic workers who extend work contracts or change employers after completing their previous employment contracts.
- Department Hong Kong Immigration will conduct an assessment to consider granting work visas to foreign domestic workers who have terminated / break contracts very selectively.
- Foreign domestic workers whose work visa applications are not approved by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, must return to their home country. [ddhk.org]
