Frequently Asked Questions

There are three main pathways: the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) (for positions at technician level or below, covering catering, retail, cleaning, logistics, security, etc.), Sector-specific Labour Importation Schemes (dedicated schemes for construction, transport, etc.), and the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes (for residential care homes for the elderly, persons with disabilities and nursing homes).

We have handled cases across residential care homes, catering, renovation works and transport, with hundreds of eligible positions available across these sectors.

There are four core requirements:

• Genuine inability to recruit suitable staff locally, having completed the required local public recruitment exercise
• Compliance with the required local-to-imported staff ratio between full-time local employees and imported workers
• Holding a valid Business Registration (BR) certificate, Certificate of Incorporation (CI), and any sector-specific licences required (e.g. residential care home licence)
• Ability to sign a standard employment contract with imported workers and provide compliant accommodation

It is not a uniform 2:1 ratio:

• General Scheme (ESLS): Generally 2:1; effective 16 June 2026, catering kitchen production section and service/hall section positions fall under second tier approval, with the ratio tightened to 3:1
• Local persons with disabilities: If an employer employs a local person with disabilities in a full-time role, that employee counts towards the ratio at 1:1
• Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes: 1:1 for private and self-financing care homes; 2:1 for subvented and contract care homes
• Workers imported under other labour importation schemes are generally calculated separately at a 2:1 ratio

When opening your case, we will calculate your eligible import quota line by line based on your local headcount to avoid miscalculations that lead to application rejection.

The Labour Department completed its review of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme, and a two-tier approval mechanism takes effect from 16 June 2026:

• Second tier approval: Kitchen production section positions (cook, junior cook, barbecue cook, food and beverage coordinator, bar supervisor) and service/hall section positions (waiter/waitress, hall supervisor, receptionist, cashier) fall under the second tier, with the local-to-imported staff ratio tightened to 3:1, calculated across all positions in the relevant section as a whole
• Local recruitment period: A standard 6 weeks applies to both sections, during which employers must attend job fairs at a Labour Department-designated job centre every two weeks
• Employment of persons with disabilities: Full-time local employees who are persons with disabilities count towards the ratio at 1:1 at the time of application
• Application frequency: The same employer may only submit one application every six months (renewal applications are exempt)
• Penalties: Administrative sanctions for employers with serious non-compliance are increased from a maximum of 2 years to a maximum of 5 years, and the identities of sanctioned employers will be published

For full provisions and official links, see the Policies & Regulations page.

General Scheme: 4 weeks; extended to 6 weeks for waiter/waitress and junior cook positions in the catering sector. Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes: Only 14 consecutive calendar days required.

There are specific requirements for how job advertisements must be placed and records kept; errors in this step are one of the most common reasons for application rejection.

The schemes themselves allow employers to submit applications directly. However, if the imported workers you intend to hire are Mainland residents, regulations require recruitment to be conducted via Mainland labour enterprises approved by the Ministry of Commerce with eligibility for Hong Kong labour cooperation – this step cannot be completed by employers directly.

In addition, visa applications have submission deadlines, and the care home scheme has batch rounds and mandatory briefing requirements; scheduling errors can lead to approval lapsing.

These are two completely separate pathways:

• Care workers: May be imported under the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes, with a 14-calendar-day local recruitment period and 1:1 staff ratio for private care homes
• Registered nurses: A regulated profession, requiring prior professional approval from the Nursing Council of Hong Kong before applying for a work visa from the Immigration Department

The application documents, approving authorities and timelines for the two are different, as are our quotations and timelines.

Depending on the scheme, sector and completeness of documents, the process generally takes several months. The Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes accepts applications in batches (each round is open for approximately two weeks), with approval taking around two months.

Before opening your case, we will provide an estimated timeline for each milestone so you can plan staffing and operations accordingly.

After obtaining quota / approval-in-principle, you must submit a visa / entry permit application for each proposed imported worker within the deadline specified in the approval notice (generally six months from the date of issue of the notice). Applications submitted after the deadline will see approval automatically lapse.

We therefore work backwards from the deadline to build a timeline, preparing all supporting documentation in advance.

Work may only commence after the worker has obtained a visa and arrived in Hong Kong. In addition, imported care workers under the Special Residential Care Home Scheme must attend a mandatory briefing arranged by the Labour Department within 8 weeks of their arrival date; employers must proactively register for these sessions. Failure to arrange attendance within the deadline may result in SWD rejecting the employer's applications for one year.

You will need to wait for the next round. As each round is only open for approximately two weeks, we recommend preparing all documents in advance (licences, employee data returns, accommodation arrangements) so applications can be submitted as soon as a round opens. We proactively notify clients of the timeline for each round.

Fees fall into two categories:

• Government fees: For example, the Employees Retraining Levy, Immigration Department visa fees, etc., charged at government-stipulated rates
• Service fees: Agency handling fees charged by the employment agency, as permitted by government regulations, fully explained before case opening with no hidden charges

Employers are additionally responsible for statutory employment costs including imported worker salaries, accommodation, round-trip transport and employees' compensation insurance. Exact amounts vary by scheme, job type and headcount; we will list these individually for your case.

Salaries for imported workers must not be lower than the monthly wage median for comparable local positions; for care workers under the residential care home scheme, salaries must not be lower than the latest monthly wage median for care workers published by the Census and Statistics Department.

Employers must also engage imported workers under a standard employment contract, with the same protections under Hong Kong labour law as local workers.

Yes. In addition to general habitation standards, the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes has explicit requirements: minimum 3.4 square metres of net floor area per person, and maximum 6 beds per dormitory room.

Non-compliant accommodation arrangements will lead to requests for supplementary documentation during the application stage, or may even affect approval outcomes.

The maximum contract period is generally 24 months, as specified in the approval notice. Imported workers may not bring dependants to Hong Kong, and must return to their place of origin upon contract expiry.

Yes. Contract renewal requires completion of renewal procedures and extension of stay work visa applications, subject to relevant scheme rules and quota arrangements. We will remind you and handle renewals before contract expiry, with the same team following up on your case.

You may apply for a replacement imported worker. Note the time limit: you must submit a "Notification of Termination of Employment Contract for Imported Worker" to apply for replacement within seven days of becoming aware the worker cannot come to Hong Kong, or within seven days of termination of the worker's contract (before expiry).

Replacement applications will not be approved if the employer has exploited or mistreated imported workers, or is currently subject to administrative sanctions imposed by the Labour Department.

You can search for information on licensed employment agencies in Hong Kong on the Labour Department's dedicated employment agency portal. Our Employment Agency Licence Number is 75754, and you are welcome to verify this.

We also cooperate with Mainland foreign labour enterprises approved by the Ministry of Commerce with eligibility for Hong Kong labour cooperation, with compliant entities in both jurisdictions handling respective requirements.