Here are some key facts about the permanent residency and why it matters to foreign domestic helpers:
– Under Hong Kong’s Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, foreigners who entered Hong Kong with valid travel documents and have “ordinarily resided” in the city for seven years continuously can seek permanent residency.
– Permanent residents enjoy the right to vote and to stand for election.
– Permanent residents can stay in Hong Kong without a work visa, have access to benefits such as public housing.
– Foreign maids, whose work visa is currently tied to a specific employer, can take up other jobs once they become permanent resident.
– At present, foreign maids must find another job in domestic service or leave Hong Kong within two weeks if dismissed by her employer. As a permanent resident, they will not be bound by the two-week rule,
– Of the 292,000 foreign domestic helpers, 117,000 have lived in Hong Kong for at least seven years as of December last year.
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