Author Archives: hksar gov

     Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (January 21) announced that the Department had assisted 436 overseas and Mainland companies to set up or expand in Hong Kong in 2018.
 
     This number represents an all-time high and a year-on-year increase of 8.5 per cent. The number of jobs thereby created (5 268) also rose by 3.3 per cent on the year before.
 
     InvestHK’s Director-General of Investment Promotion, Stephen Phillips, said he was delighted to see the continued increase in the numbers in 2018.
 
     “2018 was another record year for InvestHK in terms of the number of companies assisted and the number of jobs created. Hong Kong continues to attract overseas and Mainland investors because of its core advantages and emerging business opportunities, especially in light of the Belt and Road initiative and the latest developments in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay area,” Mr Phillips said.
 
     “Our targets in 2019 include companies ranging from entrepreneur-led ventures to multinationals that plan to set up or expand in the city. Special focus is also being put on attracting innovation and technology companies in line with the Government’s policy objectives,” he added.
 
2018 Annual Results: Highlights

     The 436 companies came from 43 economies. Mainland China continued to provide the most with a total of 101 companies, followed by the US (63), the UK (43), France (26) and Australia and Singapore (both 20).

     InvestHK assisted companies from a broad range of sectors. The top sector was innovation and technology (99 companies), followed by tourism and hospitality (61) and transport and industrial (59).

     The 436 companies together created 5 268 new jobs in their first year of establishment or expansion, representing a 3.3 per cent increase compared with 2017.
 
About InvestHK

     InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk. read more

     Four illegal workers comprising one Nepali and three Vietnamese were jailed by Shatin and Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on January 18 and 19 respectively.
      
     During operation “Twilight” on January 15, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a restaurant in Yuen Long. A male Nepali illegal worker, aged 35, was arrested. When intercepted, he was working as a dish-washing worker. Upon identity checking, he produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant. An employer suspected of employing the illegal worker was arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
 
     In addition, during an anti-illegal worker operation conducted on January 16, ImmD investigators raided a restaurant in Fanling. A female Vietnamese illegal worker and two male Vietnamese illegal workers, aged 31 to 57, were arrested. When intercepted, they were working as dish-washing workers.

     The four illegal workers were charged at Shatin and Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on January 18 and 19 respectively with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. They pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.
      
     The spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months’ imprisonment should be applied in such cases. 
      
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase, and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments. read more

     Children who have joined the Primary One Admission (POA) System for 2019 but have not yet secured a discretionary place can take part in the Central Allocation process by making their choice of schools on either Saturday (January 26) or Sunday (January 27).

     “By participating in Central Allocation, these students will be allocated a government or aided primary school place,” a spokesman for the Education Bureau said today (January 21).

     “The School Places Allocation Section of the bureau has sent letters to the parents concerned inviting them to make their choice of schools at a specified Central Allocation Centre. Each centre will operate from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 26 and January 27.

     “A completed Choice of Schools Form must be returned to the same centre on either of the two days,” the spokesman said.

     “Parents who have not yet received the invitation letter should call the School Places Allocation Section at 2832 7700 as soon as possible.”

     Parents who have recently moved or have plans to move in the near future are required to inform the School Places Allocation Section as soon as possible so that they can make school choices in the POA School Net where their new home is located. Parents should fill in the actual residential address of their child. If a false address is given by parents to secure a Primary One (P1) place for their child under the POA System, the application will be rendered void and the P1 place allocated will be withdrawn.

     The bureau has put in place a monitoring mechanism to verify the residential addresses of children as given by the parents. Random checks of applicant children’s addresses are also being stepped up. The public are encouraged to report suspected cases of individuals using a false address to the School Places Allocation Section by calling the hotline at 2832 7700. As in previous years, the bureau will take appropriate action against false address cases.

     For enquiries about the procedures for Central Allocation, please call the bureau’s 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.

     Central Allocation is composed of two parts. Part A, which takes up 10 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation, is for unrestricted school choices. Parents can choose up to three government or aided primary schools anywhere in Hong Kong. Part B takes up the remaining 90 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation. Parents of applicant children residing in the school net concerned are to select schools from the “Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation” of their school net, while parents of applicant children residing in the Mainland are to select schools from the “Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (For Applicant Children Residing in the Mainland)”. Parents should fill in the Choice of Schools Form in the order of their preference.

     The computer-programmed Central Allocation will first process the school choices in Part A and then the school choices in Part B. For oversubscribed schools, the order of priority in allocating places will be determined by random numbers generated by the computer for individual applications. This is to ensure fairness to all applicant children.

     For applications for participation in POA 2019 after January 27, parents need to complete the necessary procedures with the School Places Allocation Section of the Education Bureau. The Education Bureau will separately arrange P1 places for the applicant children this June.

     The results of Central Allocation are scheduled for release on June 1. read more

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (January 21) that the Leisure Link computerised booking system, including counter booking, Internet booking and self-service kiosks, will be suspended during t… read more

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department today (January 21) announced the special opening hours for its 12 museums (excluding the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, which are currently closed), Oi!, the Hong Kong Film Archive and the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre during the Lunar New Year holidays.
           
     Details of the opening hours are as follows:
 
February 4 (Lunar New Year’s Eve)
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     The Hong Kong Museum of History, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, the Hong Kong Railway Museum, the Sam Tung Uk Museum, the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, the Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery, the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, the Law Uk Folk Museum, Oi!, the Hong Kong Film Archive and the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre will close at 5pm.
     
February 5 and 6 (the first two days of the Lunar New Year)
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     All the aforementioned venues will be closed.
 
February 7 (the third day of the Lunar New Year)
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     Apart from the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, which will remain closed, all the aforementioned venues will open as usual.
 
February 8 (the fourth day of the Lunar New Year)
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     All the aforementioned venues will resume normal opening hours.
  read more