Working Permit advice please!

[will_233]

Hello, everyone. I am new to this forum.
I would like to know the chance for getting a Hong Kong working permit in my case. Any comment, advice or suggestion will be highly appreciated.

Here my story begins:

I am a British Chinese, currently 25 years old, and holding a UK passport. I speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and also fluently in Japanese. I graduated with a Master degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from UK in 2004. I went Hong Kong for looking for a job right after graduated. There was a company offered me a job related to the Electronic Engineering field, but only with a low monthly salary HKD$9k. I took it since my main purpose is to gain work experience. However, the Hong Kong immigration office rejected my working visa application with a reason saying 'this visa will only be granted to a person who possess a special skill, knowledge or experience that is not available in Hong Kong'. Since the refusal of my working visa application, I completely gave it up and went to Japan for studying Japanese language for nearly 2 years by now. Recently, I am re-considering whether I should go back to Hong Kong for job hunting again. I personally feel it isn't hard for getting a job in Hong Kong, but just the working permit application could be a problem. Up to now I still have no work experience related to my subject, so I will be considered as a fresh new graduate. If I go Hong Kong again, how good is the chance for getting a working permit in my case? Does salary affect the working permit/visa application? If so, how much salary is needed? (the maximum I can get is HKD$13k I guess since I lack work experience…)

Please give me some advice…

Will

[PDLM]

There's no hard limit, but the rule of thumb seems to be that it will be tricky below HK$20K.

The key thing is whether you have anything which very few locals have - I'm not sure that your selection of langauges (even including Japanese) is sufficiently difficult to find here.

Are your family originally from HK? If so, have you fully explored whether you might be able to get a HKID by descent?

[will_233]

Hi, PDLM. Thank you for your kind reply.
My family is not originally from Hong Kong, therefore not possible to get a HKID by descent.
To get a working permit, I gotta have monthly salary above HK$20k plus something which very few locals have??? Now I understand why the HK immigration office declined my application 2 years ago. These conditions are hard enough to meet in my current status.

Will

[nation]

$20,000 isn't a pre-requisite just the psychological threshold of the salary of a highly skilled no local available v non highly skilled locals applenty employee. You may very well be earning less than $20,000 but be performing a task no one else can do locally but you may have hard time convincing immigration. Given your 4 languages I would say yes that is quite a unique skill (locals are usually Cantonese/Mandarin or Cantonese/Japanese not all three plus English) that you should really be emphasising in your job hunt and (fingers crossed for you) your future work visa application. Best of luck.

[rapid_jap]

Go to the website of Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com) and check out the jobs on their career link. This is one company which always prefers people with a good knowledge of as many languages as possible. And since they are a big company, they should definitely be able to sponsor your work permit, if they find you suitable.
The right place for you, I guess.

[will_233]

Hi. nation and rapid_jap. Thanks for both of your valuable advice. I am currently in Hong Kong already, have started the frustrating job hunting and then the working permit application. I know not a good chance for getting the working permit in my case, but still want to have a try. Thank you for all of your advice, guys.

will_233

[nemrac]

It might also help if you look for multi national companies as they would usually apply the work visa for you once you are hired.

[rapid_jap]

True, nemrac is right, definitely give a try to the MNCs. That is why I suggested Bloomberg to you. Definitely get in touch with them, visit their website. I have gone through interview rounds with them and was rejected only because of lack of language skills.

Did you already apply for a work permit? All the best with your job hunt!!