Bringing in a maid/helper?

S

snazzy

New member
Everyone,

We will be moving to Hong Kong soon and I was wondering if it is easy to bring in a maid/helper along. I am thinking visas, etc. or do you have to hire someone locally or from certain countries? Our current maid is a lovely Indian woman.

Thanks (and sorry, I am aware that this is probably a silly question),

Snazzy
 
You can bring a helper with you, but she can't enter HK until you've sorted out your own visas and a place to stay. All this info is needed in the employment contract.
 
I am confused on this too. My office in Hong Kong says that my helper (who has worked for us for four years) will have to go back to Indonesia and apply through an agency before joining us in HK. That seems ridiculous, does anyone have any idea if there's a short cut?
 
She can't be in HK when you apply for her visa, and it takes about 6-8 weeks for immigration to process domestic helper visas. Hence its best she goes home and waits. The Indonesian consulate will only accept domestic helper visas from agencies. So yes you'll need to hire one. Best to call the consulate and ask them for a list of agencies they recommend.
 
Gosh that seems like such a pain. We're in KL at the moment, I wonder if she could go to Indonesia, apply through an agency, and then come back and continue working for us in KL while the application for Hong Kong is being processed?
Thanks so much for your help!
 
No we haven't relocated yet. The trouble is that I can't start start work without childcare. But under this system you can't have childcare for months after arriving! How do other working mums manage?!! I don't want to get a temporary helper from an agency as I wouldn't know them at all. Very tricky! I guess my helper could come with me on a tourist visa and do visa runs - does anyone know what's the nearest option for that? Would a trip to Macau mean a tourist visa could be renewed for another month?
 
I brought my Indonesian helper with me from Singapore. I didn't have to send her back to Indonesia, but could get her transferred directly from Singapore. Just make sure you don't cancel her work permit in Malaysia until you have the work permit for Hong Kong. Once you have your own HKID and HK address, use a local agent to get your application in as soon as possible as a transfer. I used Dulce from Trump Line Consultants, +852 2479 7098, [email protected]. She'll tell you what documents you need to assemble. Make sure you have a copy of your current contract as proof that this is a transfer, because the fees for a new Indonesian hire is much higher. For a transfer, TLC's fee is HK$4,800 of which a portion goes to the Indonesian consulate for them to endorse the HK contract before it can be submitted to the Immigration Department. For a new hire, the fee is 7-months' wages, of which a portion goes to the Indonesian consulate for the endorsement. Please note that it is illegal to deduct the fees paid to bring your helper from your helper's wages in Hong Kong, although from what my helper tells me about flyers that she receives in Bahasa, that is how it's disclosed. Therefore, employers who deduct the wages run a risk of getting fined and going to jail if they have a falling out with their helper and she goes to the police to say that her wages have been withheld.

Hope this helps. Welcome to Hong Kong!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

About this archive

This is an archive of over 20 years of GeoBaby and GeoSchools knowledge and discussions, kept online as a read-only reference.

Back
Top