By The SUN
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| Those who make visa applications by post or drop-box need not go to Immigration anymore |
From Jul 20, the Smart Renewal service for visa extensions of foreign domestic helpers will be extended to applications by post or drop-in box.
This was according to a statement issued by the Immigration Department today, Jul 15.
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This means that all visa extension applications received by Immigration from this date, whether through online, by post or drop-in box, will be processed without the worker or the employer going to an Immigration office.
Upon the approval of the application, the employer will receive a letter with an enclosed General Demand Note (GDN) for the payment of the visa fee.
As indicated on the back of the GDN, payment can be by various means, including the Faster Payment System (FPS), internet banking, payment by phone service, ATM, or in person at a post office of convenience store.
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Upon Immigration’s acknowledgment that the visa had been paid through any of the means mentioned, the visa and/or extension of stay label(s) will be mailed to the correspondence address provided by the employer. The label should then be affixed on the worker’s passport in accordance with the enclosed instructions.
If no correspondence address was provided the visa or visa extension labels will be mailed to the contractual address.
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“In other words, FDHs or their employers need not attend any office of the Immigration Department to pay the visa fee or collect the visa label(s),” said the statement.
Immigration said the move is being taken “in view of the positive public response to Smart Renewal service.”
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As of the end of June this year, over 21,500 applicants for visas for further employment of FDHs paid their visa fees and collected their visa labels through the Smart Renewal Service, said the announcement.
This accounts for almost 30% of all such visas filed within the month.
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“The percentage of online submission of applications for visas for further employment of FDHs nearly doubled from about 15 per cent before the launch of the service to almost 30 per cent (as at the end of June this year),” the statement added.
As for other applications for entry visas or for change of employer, and applications requiring an in-person submission or an interview due to special or individual circumstances, the application procedures as well as the arrangements for payment of the visa fee and collection of visa label(s) will remain unchanged.
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For more information, check out the dedicated webpage "Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers" (www.immd.gov.hk/fdh).
The website not only provides the details of the Smart Renewal service, but also combines the links for various services, such as applications for visas and extension of stay for FDHs, enquiry of application status, submission of supplementary document(s) and notification of premature termination of an employment contract, so as to further enable the public in accessing FDH-related online services.
Immigration appealed to the public to submit FDH visa applications online through the dedicated webpage or Immigration’s mobile application as far as possible, so as to reduce traveling and help fight the pandemic.
For details, please call the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111, fax to 2877 7711 or send an email at enquiry@immd.gov.hk.
