Work Visa Applications for Overseas Employees Coming to Hong Kong

ESLS and e-Visa Agency Services for Foreign Employees

If your company has already identified a suitable foreign employee overseas, the next step is to handle the application process in Hong Kong, including the quota application, employer documents, employee information, the Immigration Department work visa, follow-up on supplementary documents and arrival arrangements.

Labour Services Company supports Hong Kong employers, HR teams and business owners with work applications for overseas employees coming to Hong Kong, assisting with Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) applications, approval-in-principle and e-Visa documents, so that companies can arrange for foreign employees to work in Hong Kong in a more systematic way.

Please note: the overseas employees referred to on this page are mainly foreign/overseas staff who are not Mainland residents; application arrangements for Mainland personnel coming to work in Hong Kong are not covered.

Apply for a Free Preliminary Assessment Now (About 15 Minutes)

Please provide: the overseas employee's job title / monthly salary / work location / number of local full-time staff / intended number of hires / employee's nationality / expected date of arrival in Hong Kong.

How to reach us: contact us / WhatsApp enquiries about overseas employee applications / telephone.

Who this is for: overseas/foreign employee cases (non-Mainland). If you intend to hire Mainland residents, the process and document requirements differ; please see our homepage or ask us on WhatsApp.

Important: Nationalities Not Covered (Must Read)

Under the immigration arrangements of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), nationals of the following places may not come to Hong Kong for employment as imported workers:

Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nepal, Vietnam

If your designated candidate holds one of the above nationalities, we recommend contacting us first for an assessment of alternatives, to avoid investing time and cost without being able to complete the immigration arrangements.

Scope of Service (Hong Kong Agency)

This service targets Hong Kong employers and focuses on helping your company complete the following:

1) Quota / Approval-in-principle (Labour Department)

• Case pre-assessment: whether the position and arrangements fall under the ESLS (or should be handled under another sector-specific scheme)
• Local recruitment compliance requirements: guidance and document record preparation (for cases within the scope of an ESLS application)
• Process management: application document preparation, submission, replies to supplementary requests and progress follow-up
• Follow-on management: deadline management after approval-in-principle is obtained and guidance on subsequent arrangements

2) Immigration Department Work Visa / Entry Permit (e-Visa)

• Document coordination: drawing up and checking the document checklists required from employer and applicant
• Formalities: preparing forms, submission and follow-up on supplementary documents
• Post-approval support: payment after approval and guidance on downloading and using the e-Visa
• Key deadline reminders: avoiding a lapse of the approval-in-principle due to late submission

3) Arrival and Compliance Guidance

• Onboarding arrangements: a checklist of matters on arrival (documents, contract period management, guidance on variation/termination, etc.)
• Compliance watch: key reminders to avoid improper arrangements that could affect future applications or lead to rectification requirements

Compliance Essentials (Recommended Reading Before You Start)

To improve the chances of approval, your company should pay particular attention to:

• Dependants: imported workers generally may not bring dependants to Hong Kong.
• Pay: remuneration generally must not be lower than the monthly median wage for comparable market positions (subject to the prevailing requirements and approval).
• Staffing ratio (generally 2:1): employers must maintain the required ratio of full-time local employees to imported workers (generally 2 full-time local employees to 1 imported worker; full-time usually means no less than 35 hours per week).
• Contract duration: an imported worker's contract is generally limited to 24 months (or as approved).
• Employees Retraining levy: calculated per imported worker at HK$400 × contract months (capped at 24 months), i.e. HK$9,600; payable before the visa/entry permit is issued, and generally non-refundable.
• Standard employment contract version: make sure you use the latest version accepted by the Immigration Department (for example LD 294 (7/2024), submitted in line with the latest requirements).

Please note: the above requirements are applied differently depending on the scheme category, the nature of the position and the circumstances of the case; after the preliminary assessment we will provide a submission-ready checklist and points to note.

Application Process

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