Hong Kong’s Immigration Department (ImmD) has revealed the scale of its campaign against so-called “job-hopping” by foreign domestic helpers (FDHs), a practice in which helpers prematurely terminate contracts to switch employers and, in some cases, exploit the two-week visa-renewal window to remain in the city. In a written reply to legislators on 11 November, the Security Bureau said ImmD’s special-duties team investigated 3,303 suspect visa applications between November 2023 and October 2026. Of those, 455 applications were refused outright and another 259 were withdrawn after scrutiny—meaning roughly one in five investigated cases did not proceed. Officials did not provide a nationality breakdown, but Hong Kong’s 340,000-strong FDH community is dominated by workers from the Philippines and Indonesia. The government argues that serial contract-breaking destabilises the labour market for households and drives up agency fees. It has tightened oversight of employment agencies via a Code of Practice introduced in 2024, warning that licences can be suspended or revoked for non-compliance. For employers, the message is clear: documents will be examined closely if a helper has changed jobs repeatedly. Household staff suppliers must keep impeccable records, while corporate mobility teams bringing senior expatriates with accompanying domestic staff should build extra lead-time into visa schedules. Worker-advocacy groups have criticised the crackdown for conflating legitimate contract termination—such as abuse cases—with gaming the system. The Labour Department says aggrieved workers can still change employers if they present evidence of maltreatment.
Source: HKSAR Government Press Release
