[rani]

cwbmum,

thanks for checking with yr agent. we've just signed the 3rd contract with our helper and have paid the 1st installment. we're considering doing the early renewal and sharing the savings with her.

[bbvv]

If we renew before the contract expires, heard that we need to bear the helper's medical check, visa fees, agency fees if going through an agency, annual leave owed if the helper do not take leave and the cost of a returned airfare since she does not have to return to Indonesia.

is this correct?

[bbvv]

re my above post, I meant the amount equiv. to returned airfare paid to the helper.

[Query]

I checked with my agent yesterday and if you early terminate your helper's contract and rehire her on a new contract, you have to pay consulate fee, visa fee, amount equal to one way ticket back to where she is from, and annual leave accrued on the terminated contract.

[jenayds]

Has anyone completed this process yet and can share their experience?

With the 'no need to pay for airfare' thing, isn't it true that when the govt say the helpers can stay in HK for the visa process, they are actually granting an extension of stay and the helper still has to go home within the first year of the new contract (deferred home leave)? So you still need to pay for the return airfare at some point, just not immediately?

I am confused as to how long all this 'express processing' etc actually takes. My main questions are:

1) At the Philippine consulate, they apparently have Express processing for 're-contracts'. Does this mean they do it at the time, over the counter, or does it still take 3 days to get the notarized contract? Does the employer have to be there?

2) The immigration website says "application will normally be finalised within the same day if all required documents are in order". Does this mean they actually grant the visa that day????

For us, our next levy instalment is due in December. However we are going on holiday in October and it would suit us to have our helper take home leave then.

I am not sure what my timing should be. I understand the lines at the Philippines consulate and immigration are pretty horrific at the moment, and I'm wondering if I can wait a month and do it then. My helper said she heard the consulate were only accepting applications this month. I think this must be wrong, but do they have a quota system or something?

Any help would be much appreciated!!!

[Query]

my understanding from my agent is that when when you early terminate the contract, you still have to pay an amount equal to a one way ticket to Phil even though the govt has waived the requirement that the terminated helper has to immediately leave HK. Her HK visa will only be until the end of the first year of the new contract so at that point, she will have to leave HK and get it restamped when coming back to HK (from Phil, macau, or shenzhen etc....)

[mushi]

ok everyone, my helper just submitted our papers to the philippine consulate yesterday.....(this is for contract termination and renewal of contract with SAME helper)
1. there was a long queue and althogh the website says express processing of 3 days, we have been given a date of 2 WEEKS later.
2. costs would tptal to about $500 incl. visa fees and consulate charges.....no other expense is there.
3. one-way ticket expense has to be incurred (which was there in any case for us sine we hired her this feb)
4. extension of stay upto one year is possible
5. she can continue to work with u till the new contrcat is done.
6. u can apply for this re-contract one month before payment of next levy date or within 15 days after levy date.

anything else??....

[jaetee]

Thanks for the information Mushi. Do you know if we have to re-submit all the personal data/papers like we did when we first hired the helper, such as our HK Tax copy, our bank statements, etc.?

And with the timing - does this mean that if our next levy is due end Oct, we can start the process in mid-Oct, and then just not pay the levy even if the contract isnt renewed/stamped by the consulate until a few days after (within the 15 days post-levy date)?

Thanks for all the advice/information you have provided so far. :)