Posted by
Welshy
15 yrs ago
Hi all,
I have read through various forums about UK citizens wishing to move to HK. Most of the replies tend to suggest it is almost impossible as HK employers would have to justify employing a foreigner instead of a local person. Is this correct?
I have an aunty and uncle who live in HK and have done for 30 years. They are both UK citizens with HK citizenship also. Is it possible for them to act as a sponsor? Could I move to HK on this basis and search for work?
I'm degree qualified with 8 years experience, I meet the requirements of many job vacancies posted but the work visa thing makes me think that i'm never going to get a response.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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I totally agree. But if working/living in HK is a dream then I recommend you get on a plane and pay a visit to your relatives. And while here you do some self-marketing around employers in your field of expertise. The worst (?) that can happen is that you return home having had an extended holiday and some experiences of HK.
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dasia
15 yrs ago
Agree with Kenwin. If you don't come over here and try for a job you will never know.
I have submitted applications for work permits for many foreigners for the company I work with and have not had a knock back in over 7 years. If the company wants to employ you they will submit an application for you. It's not hard.
Good luck with it.
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dasia
15 yrs ago
Forgot to say that you should bring copies of your degree and any other qualifications with you as well as any references you may have.
If you do get an employer willing to hire you it will save a lot of time.
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Thank you very much for your replies, they have been most helpful.
Just in response in response to cara's reply, I am a civil engineering Quantity Surveyor, qualified to degree level, nearing aquisition of membership to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. There are a lot of fantastic civil engineering projects going on in HK and I would love to be involved in them.
The Uncle and Aunty that live in Hong Kong are currently in the UK and I met up with them last night and discussed my plans. My Uncle is a very senior civil engineer in HK and he thinks it may be difficult at the moment but things are looking to improve in construction toward the end of the year.
I have been to HK a few times now but my wife has not. She said she would like to see the place prior to committing moving there. I may go this summer for 10 days so she can see the place and I can market myself to potential employers.
One thing my uncle and aunty both said was that you wont get much for your money, property wise, and this might be a bit of a shock to the system. Any comments on that anyone?
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A tunnelling engineer? He sounds like a man that would be able to put me in touch with the right kind of people! We work in the same industry. I've got a hunch he's working on the tunnelling project that I want to work on, the new MTR project.
I'm thinking that poor quality expensive property might put my wife off a bit, would have to look at what's available. How long have you been there cara?
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vak
15 yrs ago
Welshy if you are a Chartered Engineer you should have no problems. If not you may apply for a membership of the HKIE and become Chartered here. It may take time but not impossible. HK Immigration is quite easy and helpful. Even if you came on a holiday and wanted to extend your stay as a tourist while job hunting, they usually do not hassel you so long as you are not working illegally . Quantity surveyor ??. Try the H K institution of Engineers. They have a very active membership and spread the word. Most big jobs in HK are now being Managed by Joint Ventures. Majority stakes are held by big businesses like CHina State. Try the head hunters through this site as well. Many of them specialise in Engineering businesses.
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vak
15 yrs ago
PS do not get put off by the visa aspect. Worst case you can set up your own business offereing Chartered surveying services and they should give you a 6 month visa. IF you got a job with a flexible employer you may get the salary through your company eventually. All legitimate and legal stuff. Some people do it for tax benefits.
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Wow! so many replies! Thank you so much
@ madtown: I dont think i would be able to double my salary, my salary in HK dollars is about 420,000 HKD a year (gross). Which is about 35,000 a month. I wouldn't move to be on less but think I would be earning more than 35,000. Would 35,000 be a reasonable salary?
One of the main reasons i would like to go to hong kong is the experience and the civil engineering projects there are far greater in size and complexity that I would be able to get involved in here.
My wife works in banking, would anyone know if many expats work in the banking sector in hong kong?
Cara: It sounds like the places you live are worse in quality than where you are from, so what are the main things that kept you in HK?
Thanks again for all your replies, they've been really helpful.
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I was thinking that I probably wouldn't get the job i wanted and the salary i would be happy with first time round but I was thinking that once i'm there, getting the better job would be much easier actually being there and being able to visit companies. With the better job comes the better money and then i would move to better accomodation.
60,000 would be double my salary, which would obviously be fantastic especially with the lower tax rates there.
I do agree, the last time i went there the visibility seemed much worse than the previous time i was there.
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We're coming to HK! We plan on visiting companies and possibly looking at apartments etc to get a feel for what kind of place we could afford.
Thank you all so much for your comments.
Is there anything else you guys can think of that would be worth knowing / taking into consideration?
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Ignore my question on your other post about what your wife does- depending on her area of banking she should be OK. Re. Madtown's comment about not coming here for less than $60K/month, we're a family of 3 living on less than that, no housing package, and paying a mortgage on HK island. (Due to odd work shifts, we had to sacrifice space for location & be close to work). Coming for a look-see is def. a good idea, though it's hot as hell at the moment. Good luck!
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