Since the Hong Kong Immigration Department announced the new online submission policy and revised fee structure for several major visa types earlier this year, further updates have emerged. Our original article, which lists all affected visa schemes, has also been updated.

Latest Updates on Visa Schemes

Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme

While the Training Visa Scheme has been removed from the new fee structure, the Immigration Department has added the Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme (VPAS) to the revised fee framework.

VPAS, designed for graduates of Vocational Training Council Higher Diploma programs, grants the right to work in Hong Kong. Similar to other specific visa schemes under the new fee structure, VPAS applicants must pay both the new application fee and the increased visa fee.

Impact of the Online Submission Policy & New Fee Structure

Despite the changes to certain visa schemes, the limitations imposed by the online submission policy and new fees remain largely in place. All relevant applications must be submitted online and are subject to inherent system restrictions, including limitations on file types, sizes, number of submissions, and time allowed per submission.

Additionally, new challenges have surfaced as inefficiencies in the system become more apparent, raising concerns about accessibility and usability.

The online submission system has proven time-consuming and inefficient, making the process significantly more tedious and difficult to coordinate for applicants and sponsors who are often on different schedules and located in different time zones.

Under the new system, the submission process must follow a strict three-step sequence:

1.The applicant must first prepare their form, upload documents, and sign.

2.The sponsoring company must then complete its form, upload documents, and sign.

This rigid process creates issues in the following scenarios:

• If the applicant has not yet uploaded their documents or completed their form, the company representative will not be able to initiate the submission process on their end.

• The application fee cannot be paid until both forms are completed and all required documents are uploaded, causing delays—especially for companies requiring extended processing time for financial transactions.

• Visa extension and change of sponsorship applications require applicants to remain physically in Hong Kong during the submission process. If any step encounters delays, applicants may need to extend their stay beyond their original plans.

Difficulties with Bulk Submissions

The current online submission system presents additional challenges for sponsoring companies handling multiple employment visa applications simultaneously.

Previously, physical submission allowed companies to submit any number of applications simultaneously. While these forms did not come pre-filled, companies could efficiently copy and paste the required information across multiple applications to streamline the process.

Under the new system:

• Data entry is required separately for each application. Copy and paste functionality cannot be used across different applications even if they are sponsored by the same company, increasing administrative workload.

• Company details can be stored for reuse, but only if forms are prepared on the same computer, significantly limiting flexibility.

• Companies must manage each application separately, using unique login credentials, further complicating bulk submissions.

These inefficiencies impose unnecessary administrative burdens on companies managing multiple visa applications, slowing down the process rather than streamlining it.

To address these issues, we propose the following enhancements to the online submission system:

1. Implement Company User Accounts

• Allow companies to create secure and permanent system accounts, accessible by authorized representatives from multiple computers using the same login credentials.
  

2. Enable Pre-Saved Company Information

• The system should allow companies to store and auto-fill their data with their permanent accounts, instantly generating company application forms for multiple visa applications at the same time.

3. Optimize Bulk Submission Features for Companies

• Streamline multi-application management by allowing companies to group multiple visa applications under a single submission.
• Introduce a bulk-edit function so companies can efficiently apply the same information across multiple applications without redundant manual entry at the same time.

4. Implement a Flexible Payment Model

• Companies should have the option to bulk-pay for all applications at once or adopt a monthly/annual fee structure covering all current and future visa sponsorships, instead of requiring two separate payments (application fee and visa fee) for each application.

5. Allow Flexible Submission Sequences

• Companies and applicants should have the ability to prepare forms and upload documents in any order they choose, rather than following a fixed sequence dictated by the system.
  

6. Provide Early Access to Visa Extension Forms

• Allow applicants to prepare visa extension forms and upload documents ahead, rather than limiting them to the four-week pre-expiry time window.
• Introduce pre-submission verification, allowing applicants to check for errors before the official submission window opens.

Such modifications would streamline the application process, enhancing efficiency while aligning with the original intent of the online submission system—to be efficient and effective rather than complex and laborious.

Immigration Department. “Training.” Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/training.html

Immigration Department. “New Fee Structure for Visa Applications under Specified Schemes.” Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/specifiedschemes.html

Immigration Department. “Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme.” Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/vpas.html

Immigration Department. “Online Application for Extension of Stay (for Other Non-Permanent Residents)”  Retrieved from: https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/nonpermanent/applyextensionstay/othernpr.htm

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