[shilo507]

Hi All,

Am shortly to depart for HK on a work permit. I am looking forward to it.

I have a Filipina wife and two daughters. It is certainly good news that dependants of work permit holders can now take employment.

My wife feels a little uneasy about engaging a Filipina maid but from a financial point of view it makes sense for my wife to go out to work. At least my wife has around 200,000 other Tagalog speakers to communicate with in HK so she shouldn’t be lonely!

My question is whether it will be easy for my wife to find employment in HK (not domestic work). Obviously she speaks fluent English and has a university degree but she has not worked for 9 years since we started a family in UK. My wife was a secretary in the Philippines and briefly in the UK in the early-mid 90’s and I think this would be the best type of work for her to get back into but what chances does she have in HK and are there any other types of work she could consider?

I have to say that as a frequent business visitor to HK over the years I am a little concerned about the negative image towards Filipinas in HK. My own employer says he would like to offer her a job but the company has a policy of not employing husband and wife couples and says that if he bends the rules for us he may have problems with other ex-pats.

It is not absolutely essential that my wife works but we could use the extra money and after 9 years of being at home with the kids my wife says she wants to get back to work. Unfortunately, in the UK the cost of child-minding is such that it is not financially worthwhile my wife working.

Any advice about suitable work my wife may be able to do would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[z754103]

Can't comment on individual circumstances but I'm hearing that good secretaries/admin assistants are incredbily hard to hire right now in HK. It's a strong job market for people with the right skill sets. If she can sell herself properly she should be ok.

[donabel_beltran]

There's a lot of openings for admin work, albeit on a contractual basis. If that's fine with you, then finding work wouldn't be a problem. (Look for a copy of the Career Times -- these are usually distributed for free in apartment buildings -- or the Sunday edition of the South China Morning Post, once you get here.)

I would like to think that her being a Filipina would not be a problem, too. More than anything else, the deciding factor would be whether she can speak Cantonese/Mandarin, or not.

By the way, I'm a Filipina, too, and I am aware of the less-than-positive perceptions about women of my nationality. Because of that, I always get a kick out of seeing the impressed looks on people when I start being ME. In the end, it's the individual which matters...

Kindly tell your wife that if she needs to talk to someone in Tagalog, she can get in touch with us. :-)

[coolgirl]

Yep, another Filipina here

True, true that Filipinas get bad reputation because of the domestic help, which is bizarre because it is an honest and clean job. Why should maids be looked down upon anyway???

I sometimes think that my initial difficulty to find an apartment (the landlords skeptical of my position in the company, one insisted i'm perhaps a temp, even one mentioning "how could you be in your position?) is due to my nationality, albeit being Chinese in race. But that's just first impression. Most people can look beyond that, so that shouldn't be a problem.

[dicesix]

I'm a pinay, too... but a German citizen. I have heard that Filipino citizens do not have the same rights in HKG as other foreign citizens e.g. they can never get a permanent HK ID card no matter how long they have lived here.

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by dicesix

I'm a pinay, too... but a German citizen. I have heard that Filipino citizens do not have the same rights in HKG as other foreign citizens e.g. they can never get a permanent HK ID card no matter how long they have lived here.

That's simply not true. People in HK on Domestic Helper Visas are excluded from the ability to get PR after 7 years - that applies to all DHs of any nationality. Permanent ID cards are available to Filipinos resident in HK for 7 years on any other basis (Employment Visa, Dependent, etc.) as for any other nationality.

[dicesix]

PDLM: Good to know. I just heard it yesterday and I was really surprised. That would have been really scary and racist.

[TaLL|dUdE]

Originally Posted by dicesix

I'm a pinay, too... but a German citizen. I have heard that Filipino citizens do not have the same rights in HKG as other foreign citizens e.g. they can never get a permanent HK ID card no matter how long they have lived here.

totally not true. my folks have a have a perm. hk i.d. i have a ton of friends who have it as well.

[dicesix]

Alright, so it is not necessary to chain myself in front of the immigration department and sing 'we shall overcome'...

[McArenas]

According to the HK immigration website:

4. Who can enjoy the Right of Abode in the HKSAR?

d. A person not of Chinese nationality who has entered Hong Kong with a valid travel document, has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years and has taken Hong Kong as his place of permanent residence before or after the establishment of the HKSAR.

* The continuous period of seven years ordinary residence must be immediately before the date when the person applies to the Director of Immigration for the status of a permanent resident of the HKSAR under this category.

* The person is required to make a declaration in the form the Director of Immigration stipulates that he has taken Hong Kong as his place of permanent residence. If the person is under the age of 21 years, the declaration must be made by one of his parents or by a legal guardian. For this purpose, the person will have to furnish information to satisfy the Director of Immigration that he has taken Hong Kong as his place of permanent residence. The information may include whether he has habitual residence in Hong Kong; whether the principal members of his family (spouse and minor children) are in Hong Kong; whether he has a reasonable means of income to support himself and his family; whether he has paid his taxes in accordance with the law.

* A person claiming to have the status of a permanent resident of the HKSAR under this category does not have the status of a permanent resident in the HKSAR until he has applied to the Director of Immigration and the application has been approved by the Director of Immigration.


from the fine print... I think anybody can obtain ROA, regardless of nationality, as long you meet the above criteria. from the above statement, it doesn't even bar DOMESTIC HELPERS from applying. I heard there is a current court case on this matter.

Even kids of Foreign Domestic Helpers do get ROA. Read here.