In a separate notice on 23 October, the Immigration Department restated the 13 countries with which Hong Kong maintains bilateral Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) agreements, ranging from Australia (5,000 annual places) to the Netherlands (100). The statement drew attention because no new partners were added, dashing speculation that the city might include emerging markets such as Thailand or South Africa this cycle. The WHS allows 18- to 30-year-olds to spend up to 12 months in Hong Kong, taking short-term jobs or study courses to offset living costs while enjoying an extended cultural stay. Participation has rebounded sharply since border controls ended, with Australia and Japan filling their quotas within days of opening this year’s application window. Employers in retail and hospitality, sectors facing post-pandemic labour shortages, see the programme as a valuable pipeline of seasonal staff who can work up to six months per employer. Corporate mobility teams should note that WHS visa-holders are not counted toward companies’ foreign-worker ratios under Hong Kong labour law, but they remain subject to standard Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) enrolment once they pass 60 consecutive days of employment. Failure to register interns has been a recurring audit finding; HR managers are therefore urged to integrate WHS tracking into onboarding checklists. While the scheme is reciprocal, Hong Kong youth continue to favour stints in Australia, Canada and the UK, citing relaxed work rules abroad. Policymakers are reviewing whether to raise Hong Kong’s outbound quota to match inbound demand; any change would require partner-country consent and could surface in the next bilateral consultations slated for early 2027. For now, students and recent graduates from the 13 eligible economies are advised to prepare financial proof of at least HK$30,000 (about US$3,800) and comprehensive health insurance before applying. Quotas are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and last year’s unpopular requirement for in-person submissions has been scrapped in favour of an online portal that accepts digital signatures.
Source: YEN.com.gh
