In a notice updated on 7 July, Hong Kong’s Labour Department confirmed three compulsory briefing sessions – 7 July, 20 July and 4 August – for migrant care workers recruited under the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes. Employers must enroll each new arrival within eight weeks of entry or face a one-year ban on further applications, the department warned. The briefings, held at the Lady Trench Training Centre in Wan Chai, cover employment-rights basics, occupational-safety standards and anti-trafficking protocols. Sessions are offered in Putonghua and Cantonese, reflecting the predominance of Mainland Chinese and Southeast Asian recruits in the sector. Spaces are capped and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with over-subscribed employers required to rebook. The care-home industry is one of Hong Kong’s fastest-growing users of imported labour after the government loosened quota controls in 2024 to address chronic staffing shortages. For global-mobility professionals managing group arrivals, the briefing requirement is a critical path item: failure to comply can invalidate the worker’s visa and trigger repatriation costs. Practical tips emerging from past cohorts include arranging arrival dates to coincide with briefing slots, budgeting transit time from quarantine-free entry to Wan Chai, and ensuring workers bring original contracts and ID documents. Employers are also advised to monitor weather alerts – as Black Rain signals will automatically cancel sessions – and to maintain standby accommodation should rescheduling be necessary. Beyond compliance, the Labour Department views the programme as a platform to integrate foreign carers into Hong Kong’s elderly-care ecosystem and to reduce early-contract terminations that destabilise residential homes.
Source: Labour Department, HKSAR
