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Any experience in bringing Mainland Chinese helper to HK?

  1. #1
    vale is offline Registered User
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    Any experience in bringing Mainland Chinese helper to HK?

    We are about to move from Shanghai to Hong Kong and I would love my Chinese helper to come with us. If any of you has any experience with that to share, please PM me.
    Thanks a lot, Valentina


  2. #2
    carey is offline Registered User
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    I don't have any experience in this but I know it's not likely that you can do that leagally.

    Most Chinese citizen gets only a 7 day visitor visa to Hongkong on their pass to hongkong. They can only get a two time entry each visa.

    I don't think Hongkong goverment is issuing work visa for domestic helpers from China either.

    Would be easier to find help in HongKong intead.


  3. #3
    AudreysMom is offline Registered User
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    I also would like to bring a mainland Chinese helper to HK. We need a helper who can speak Mandarin. Any mothers successful in doing this? If so please PM me.


  4. #4
    Gracey is offline Registered User
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    There are many mainland migrants in Hong Kong who speak Putonghua and who, theoretically, you can hire as maids, nannies or confinement ladies. But they are not considered "foreign helpers." They are local workers, who already have the right to live in HK. So none of the usual FDH rules apply -- you have to negotiate their pay and perks individually.

    Generally, they are much more expensive than FDHs -- something like 10-12K per month, as opposed to 4K per month. There have also been concerns about the quality of their work, as they don't go through the whole training / health check / agency process that the FDHs do. Many are older Chinese ladies who are simply looking for some way to make some cash, sometimes in the short term.

    I come from a large HK Chinese family. Despite the language barrier, ALL of my relatives have hired Filipinas or Indonesians to do the heavy lifting in terms of housework and childcare. The thousands of HKD they save is then spent on private Mandarin tutors -- so the Mainland Chinese are used in a more targeted way to teach language. Even Mainland Chinese families here opt for FDHs.

    I don't think it's very easy to bring a Mainland helper to HK. There are a million reasons why -- too long to go into here. Mostly it's immigration control -- there are far more Mainlanders who want to come to HK than the city can absorb. HK's been burned by a few scams, like fake marriages or people overstaying tourist visas. HK worries that if they open the floodgates, they won't be able to control migration. Whereas Filipinas / Indonesians are kept on very tight immigration controls. But that's a whole other post....


  5. #5
    Gracey is offline Registered User
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    Straight from the horse's mouth! China Daily says that mainland domestic workers are not allowed to migrate to HK to work...

    "The conspicuous absence of maids from the mainland reflects a stringent effort to avert a possible flood of migrants disguising themselves as domestic helpers. There is also a higher chance, compared to maids hired from non-Chinese sources, of their deciding to get married to a Hong Kong permanent resident and then to stay in Hong Kong for good....

    ...A recent City Forum hosted by RTHK had panelists expressing worry about family problems ensuing from maids hired from the mainland. Wives are worried that mainland domestic helpers might become mistresses to their husbands."

    You've got to love that last bit. Way to stereotype! (China Daily is the mainland's government newspaper)


  6. #6
    Gracey is offline Registered User
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    OK, here's some actual useful advice. Here is the HK government link to help you hire a local (meaning Chinese) helper

    http://www.erb.org/smartliving/en/master.php

    It states: "The market hourly rate for a part-time home and health care helper is about $50-$70."

    That adds up to 10,000-11,000 per month, for a live-out, 40-hour-a-week helper.


  7. #7
    carang's Avatar
    carang is offline Registered User
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    correct, hk immig will not give a visa to a mainlander to be a domestic helper. sorry!


  8. #8
    vale is offline Registered User
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    Thank you so much for your answers. I had no idea.

    As far as you know, can Mainlanders get work permit only as professionals? Is not possible to hire them as office clerks, waitress...?
    I have seen many people in HK from Mainland China and they seem to be working in HK. Are they illegal or am I missing something?

    Another way around it could be to get a longer tourist visa. Have you heard of this kind of visa or the only one is the double entry tourist visa for a total stay of 14 days?

    Thanks!
    Valentina


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