DH changing employer

I often chat with the DHs living in my building.


Life is never easy for them, but one of them asks me quite often if I know of anyone else in need of a DH as her employer isn't the greatest (although she doesn't go into detail).


But what is her recourse even if I did know someone looking to hire? She's not sure if she simply should endure this employer because of the potential red tape of being hired on by a new one. If she finds and wants to change families, is the procedure quite complicated?


(I didn't find this in a search here. If you know of a prior discussion, please post the link. Thanks!)

Life isnt easy for anyone here in Hong Kong. Ask one of the street cleaners in Hong Kong and see how much they earn. A lot of old ladies still collecting carbon boxes for a living. I can guarantee you no DH wl tell you that her life is easy. I can guarantee you that she knows much better than you and me coz they have a lot of network here. Let her deal with it and dont waste your time.

Thanks for sharing, Mighty.


Can anyone else answer about the difficulty/possibility of this procedure, or if you know of anyone who's done it?


Thanks.

If the DH resigns, she has to go back to her country of origin where she'll have to apply for another visa if she has found a new employer before to leave. It can be pretty long, about 6-8 weeks.

All helpers should contact immigration if they want information regarding their situation and there are special people at the Phillipines Consulate who deal soley with helping them. I also agree it is not worth getting involved assisting DH's other than your own as it tends to get complicated however for your information:


If a helper breaks her contract for reasons other than being abused or the employer seriously not meeting their contractual obligations then she is allowed a short period of time to stay in HK (10 - 14 days) she will be advised by immigration when she goes down to inform them that she has terminated the contract. In that time she can arrange with another employer to be employed, and, if they have time to submit the papers. She will be required to return to the Phillipines while her visa is being processed. This can take 4 - 6 weeks. The only way that you can get an exception to this rule is if the contract is broken early because the employer is leaving for good, can no longer afford a DH and provides a letter to immigration to that effect (which no one will do lightly because they will then have that on their record if they try to hire another DH), the employer dies or they no longer require a DH at all (kids all grown up etc). In this instance the DH is sometimes allowed to go more or less directly to a new employer (they still have to wait until the contract and visa has been processed but they have visa extension to cover this). They are not permitted to start work and would have to either stay with the previous employer or find lodgings of their own. In reality most go to stay with the new employer and just keep a low profile. The employer has to write a letter to immigration stating why they need the helper to start right away (children etc) and undertake that the helper will leave the country within the year as they will only be given a one year visa (this is usally home leave but may just have to be to Shenzen/Macua - that has been discussed elsewhere. If she has finished contract she will also have a short period of time to find a new employer before leaving HK and the employer can also ask immigration if she can have her visa processed here. This is the reason most employers look for someone who is finished contract. The system is set up this way to stop DH's from job hopping from one employer to another.

Always best to get your advice confirmed by immigration before making any decisions but I understand that sometimes people just want to find out a bit more while thinking things through.

Ness, that's a beautiful reply. Thanks kindly for your elaborate help.


Thanks to you too, Ladyfrog.