[wanttaHK]

Thanks a lot for your attention and help in advance.

I’m a holder of Chinese nationality, but I’m staying in France for two years. Recently, I get a job offer from a HK company but now I’m quite worrying about the application of work permit. Since the HK company tells me that the work permit is difficult to get and takes long time, so they want to apply for me a trainee visa for one year and then transferred to work permit, but I disapprove this since the status as trainee lacks of protection of HK labor law. So my questions are:

- Is it true that the application of work permit takes 4 - 6 weeks?

- Can a trainee visa be transferred to a work permit without the concerned person leaving HK.

What shall I do? Please feel free to give me your advises!

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by wanttaHK

the status as trainee lacks of protection of HK labor law.

Er, which protection is that? HK is generally reckoned to have more or less zero protection for employees...

[wanttaHK]

Originally Posted by PDLM

Er, which protection is that? HK is generally reckoned to have more or less zero protection for employees...

First, thanks for replying.

The key point here is the status, not the protection.

There are still differences between work permit and trainee visa, right? With a work permit, I can renew/extend it, but the trainee visa? And I suppose that they both need to go through similar application procedure, so I wonder why the company want to pass by a trainee period.

[baoyusi]

They want you to work as a trainee for a year to pay you almost nothing.....that is teh difference.

Yes, a work visa takes from 4-6 weeks. 3 in some cases.

[baoyusi]

They want you to work as a trainee for a year to pay you almost nothing.....that is teh difference.

Yes, a work visa takes from 4-6 weeks. 3 in some cases.

You should be well aware why they are doing this....and I am sure it is to do with your wages...

[Expatriate]

Please keep in mind, that there are different rules for foreigners and Mainland Chinese.