Four foreign domestic helpers were arrested in dawn raids in a morning in January 2015 for breaking immigration laws by not living in their employers’ homes.
Three minibuses with at least 20 immigration officers descended on Ma Wan village around 7am, accusing the helpers of breaching employment legislation and their contracts.
One Hong Kong resident, understood to be an employer of one of the helpers, was also held for obstructing officers. Immigration officers arrested his wife in the afternoon.
An immigration spokesman confirmed that four foreign domestic helpers were detained for making a false representation to an immigration officer.
The government requirement that domestic helpers live in their employers’ homes was tightened in 2003 in a bid to boost job opportunities for local domestic helpers. Only those helpers who have been employed continuously by the same employer since before 2003 are allowed to live out. Under the same laws, employers are also targeted for letting helpers out of their duty of care.
The government insists the laws prevent abuse of helpers working part-time outside of their employment.
According to Hong Kong law, employers hire a domestic helper using a standard employment contract – a legally binding document. Clause 3 states that the migrant worker must reside in the employer’s residence with a stated address. The visa application states that the helper and employer must comply with clause 3.
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