Immigration Department introduces Smart Renewal service for online application for visas for further employment of foreign domestic helpers
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At present, persons who submit the visa applications are required to, upon approval of their applications, pay the visa fee and collect the FDH visa(s) in person or through an authorised representative at an office of the ImmD.
To provide greater convenience for persons applying for employment visas for FDHs, the ImmD will introduce the Smart Renewal service on March 5. With the new service, FDHs who continue to work for the same employer (i.e. FDHs who are to renew the contract with the same employer, are to complete the remaining period of the current contract, or are to apply for a deferral of home leave under the special arrangements amid the COVID-19 pandemic) may, upon approval of their applications submitted through the ImmD's dedicated "Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers" webpage at www.immd.gov.hk/fdh or the ImmD mobile application, pay the visa fee with the General Demand Note (GDN) enclosed with the notification of the application result. Payment can be made by various means, such as the Faster Payment System, Internet banking, the Payment by Phone Service or automatic teller machines, or in person at a post office or convenience store. The details are set out on the back of the GDN. Upon the ImmD's acknowledgement of the receipt of the visa fee paid by one of the methods specified in the GDN, the visa and/or extension of stay label(s) will be mailed to the correspondence address provided by the employer. The visa and/or extension of stay label(s), upon receipt, should be properly affixed to the FDH's passport as instructed. In case no correspondence address has been provided, the visa and/or extension of stay label(s) will be sent to the contractual address. Throughout the application process, the applicant or the employer need not attend any office of the ImmD to pay the visa fee or collect the visa label(s).
As for other applications for entry visas, for change of employer or for visas for further employment of FDHs submitted by other means (i.e. by post, drop-in box or in person) and applications requiring 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. The ImmD will review the arrangement of the service concerned in due course and explore extending the scope of the Smart Renewal service.
An ImmD spokesperson appealed to members of the public to submit applications for visas for further employment of FDHs by means of the Smart Renewal service, so that they can enjoy the user-friendly service without the need to attend an office of the ImmD in person. By reducing travelling, they can contribute to the efforts to fight the virus together.
For details of the Smart Renewal service, please visit the dedicated "Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers" webpage at www.immd.gov.hk/fdh. For enquiries, please call the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111, or fax to 2877 7711 or email enquiry@immd.gov.hk.
Ends/Thursday, March 4, 2021
Issued at HKT 20:09
Issued at HKT 20:09
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