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Ask Andreas: My helper’s visa has expired before her contract’s finished

ExpertsPost Category - ExpertsExpertsFamily LifePost Category - Family LifeFamily Life - Post Category - Domestic HelpersDomestic Helpers

We have the best Agony Uncle at Sassy Mama – Andreas is the author of one of our most-recommended books: Hiring & Managing Domestic Help. It’s an absolute must-have for Hong Kong mamas and you can buy it here!

This week, we have a question on the ins and outs of visas…

My helper’s Visa is only for one year so she has to leave HK this summer… but my contract is for two years! Is this normal? What should I do?

For reasons known only to the Immigration Department, helpers who renew their contract are only granted one-year visas (new hires get two years). The helper must leave Hong Kong to renew her visa. While Immigration states that the helper must return to her home country to renew, a simple day trip to Macau or Shenzhen works just as well (the trip must be more than a couple of hours though). When she re-enters Hong Kong she will get a new one-year visa in her passport.

For the only guide you’ll ever need on working with a helper, check out Andreas’ fab book ‘Hiring and Managing Domestic Help’ and buy it here.

Do you have a question for Andreas? Email [email protected] with the subject line “Ask Andreas” and we’ll make sure it gets answered on the site!

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