Volunteering on Christmas

[LAGurl]

I want to do some volunteering during the xmas holidays. Anyone know any activities on Christmas day or boxing day? Like elderly home visit, homeless shelter, soup kitchen, orphanage visit, etc?

[dipper]

You can try here:

...::: Ho-Sum - the Online Meeting Place for Charities and Volunteers :::...

[Claire ex-ax]

Another place: Latest Volunteer Opportunities | HandsOn Hong Kong

This place (most in Chinese and with religious lot): Search | Volunteer Movement

[KateInHongKong]

I was very surprised to discover that people living here without HKID are not permitted to volunteer anywhere! I saw this on the HK immigration website. I figured I could at least volunteer and help out in the community where I'm grateful to be living, share my skills, but nope! Can't do that!

I wonder how it works. Are you asked for your HKID when you volunteer somewhere? And then get shown the door if you don't have it? I'd think they'd be happy to have people willing to work for free to help with good work in the city.

[Beuze]

I was very surprised to discover that people living here without HKID are not permitted to volunteer anywhere! I saw this on the HK immigration website. I figured I could at least volunteer and help out in the community where I'm grateful to be living, share my skills, but nope! Can't do that!

I wonder how it works. Are you asked for your HKID when you volunteer somewhere? And then get shown the door if you don't have it? I'd think they'd be happy to have people willing to work for free to help with good work in the city.

Any reason why you are living here and don't have a HKID ? You have to have a visa to live here you know !

[dipper]

PDLM is on his way, in the meantime...

It's not about your ID it's about your visa conditions. If you're on a work visa for example you can only work for your sponsoring employer but you can however apply for permission to take up side-employment as a volunteer or otherwise.

I would imagine the main reason it is not allowed without permission from immigration is that it would open up loopholes wherby employers could say "she's just volunteering at the school" for example, whilst paying cash in hand, making it difficult to prove whether someone was working illegally or 'volunteering'.

That said if you're doing normal, genuine voluntary work nobody really cares but of course if you volunteer somewhere and accidentally blow up the soup kitchen in a freak gas explosion you'll have the added complication of having been working illegally whilst doing so.

[KateInHongKong]

Any reason why you are living here and don't have a HKID ? You have to have a visa to live here you know !

It takes some period of time to get HKID, so far as I know. They don't just hand them out at the airport on arrival. I came here from Canada and did not need a visa. As long as I don't overstay the period of visit stamped in my passport I'm allowed to be here.

[dipper]

Yeah, if you're on a tourist visa you can't work, only tour.

[Char Siu King]

It takes some period of time to get HKID, so far as I know. They don't just hand them out at the airport on arrival. I came here from Canada and did not need a visa. As long as I don't overstay the period of visit stamped in my passport I'm allowed to be here.

You're allowed to be here as a tourist. You cannot legally 'live' here.

Do Canadian charities allow tourists to help out with their activities? I seriously doubt it.

[KateInHongKong]

I think Canadian charities are glad for any help they can get. If tourists showed up to help at the food bank, I think they'd be welcomed with open arms. I have volunteered many times in Canada and nobody asked me if I'm a permanent resident. Now, though, of course, if you want to volunteer anywhere that has anything to do with children, you need to pass a police check, and rightly so.