Domestic helpers, dependants of residents and students applying for visas and entry permits to Hong Kong will have to declare any past criminal convictions starting next month, the city’s immigration department has said, following a similar change in criteria for the government’s talent recruitment schemes.
But domestic helper unions on Wednesday expressed concerns the changes might slow down the application process and warned some workers could be barred from entry if they had committed only minor offences.
The Immigration Department said dependants of residents, domestic helpers, imported workers, students, those receiving training in the city and participants of a working holiday scheme would have to declare any criminal convictions in their past starting on June 19.
