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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has since 2001 established bilateral Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) arrangements with 10 economies, namely New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, Korea, France, the United Kingdom and Austria. The WHSs have been well received over the years. So far more than 50 000 Hong Kong young people have taken up short-term employment or study while holidaying through the WHSs, during which they are able to gain living experience in a foreign culture. The Labour Department reminds participants of WHSs to make good preparations before departure from Hong Kong for safety reasons. These include taking out appropriate insurance policies, observing local laws and being cautious in dealing with the terms and conditions laid down in employment contracts in these WHS destinations.
A spokesman for the Labour Department (LD) said today (May 8) that the department has always encouraged participants to get fully prepared before departure. For example, they may consult friends who have joined relevant WHSs before to have a better understanding of the local employment and living conditions. In addition, they may also visit the dedicated website of Hong Kong (whs.esdlife.com) or government websites of the WHS destinations to obtain relevant information. Taking Australia, the largest WHS recipient destination, as an example, participants may make reference to the following websites provided by the Australian authorities: www.immi.gov.au/visit/pages/travel-advice-for-whm.aspx and www.australia.com/en/planning/working-holiday-visa-faq.html .
The spokesman reminded participants as to how they can seek assistance in case of emergency in these WHS destinations. "As with all Hong Kong residents travelling abroad, in addition to immediately approaching the local government authorities for assistance, young people participating in WHSs may also approach the relevant Chinese Embassy or Consulate, or call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit (AHU) of the Immigration Department at (852)1868 if they are involved in accidents or serious incidents abroad," the spokesman said.
Ends/Friday, May 8, 2015
Issued at HKT 11:08
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