Relaxed visa rules 'will bring new blood' to labor market

Talent from Vietnam, Laos and Nepal can be imported to Hong Kong after their visa restrictions were relaxed, lessening the risk of illegal immigration, says Benson Kwok Joon-fung, the new director of immigration.

Visa requirements to lure talents from three Southeast Asian countries - Vietnam, Laos and Nepal - were relaxed on October 25, as per Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's policy address.

Kwok, in an interview with The Standard's sister paper Sing Tao Daily, said some countries had been slapped with strict visa restrictions as their economies were poor, leading to many cases of illegal immigration.

"But times have changed. The economies of these countries have improved a lot, and the risks [of illegal immigration] are lower," Kwok said.

"After our assessment, we opined that we can relax the visa limitations imposed on people from the three countries."

He said the relaxation was based on careful consideration of factors, including lowered immigration and security risks, and latest economic, social and cultural exchanges with the countries.

Kwok believes the move will strengthen the economic and trade cooperation between Hong Kong and the three countries, which is also in line with the government's policy of luring enterprises and talent.

"The department will flexibly deploy manpower, simplify the vetting procedures and make good use of advanced technology to cope with the increasing number of visa applications."

Applicants must meet general immigration requirements, such as holding a valid travel document for returning to their home countries, and should not bring security risks or financial burdens, he said.

Kwok added that the department would review measures and immigration schemes to attract talent regularly and strive to strike a balance between immigration control and facilitating talent to immigrate.

In a Legislative Council question-and answer-session last month, Lee replied to Election Committee lawmaker Chan Pui-leung that the relaxation of visa requirements for the three countries was meant to "open up as much as possible to attract talent no matter where they come from."

He said exploring talents from the Southeast Asian nations was mainly because "they are our close neighbors."

Lee said the government's previous restrictions on some countries were based on concerns about illegal immigrants, but "many countries are developing well" and the relevant risks have been reduced.

He believes that Hong Kong would benefit from gradual relaxation and controlled risks.

The visa policy in respect of employment for Vietnamese talents and criteria for Vietnamese applying for multiple-entry visas for business and travel were relaxed on October 25.

Requirements for Laotian and Nepalese talents for employment, training and study in University Grants Committee-funded institutions have also been relaxed.

Human resources consultant Alexa Chow Yee-ping earlier said Vietnam boasts a large number of IT talent, mainly young people with two to three years of working experience, including those in brand design.

Laotian and Nepalese talent will become the new blood of Hong Kong's labor market, equipped with skills after training and education, Chow said.