At least two employment agencies offer allegedly bogus jobs to mainland Chinese talent in Hong Kong to help them secure visa renewals for a fee of up to 500,000 yuan (US$70,200), the Post has found, amid a peak period of visa expirations under the government’s top talent scheme.
Tactics deployed by the agencies included offering employment contracts and payslips without requiring actual work, as well as fabricating evidence of meetings – all designed to help mainlanders extend their stay in Hong Kong.
“You don’t need [to work], but you’ll need to act as if you are actually employed. For example, you should attend an online meeting every month. Our side will send you some work reports to share through company accounts regularly,” an agent told the Post reporter via WeChat.
“When you renew your visas, you could show these [records] to immigration authorities to prove that you are a disciplined employee.”
Visa expirations under Hong Kong’s talent admission schemes hit a peak in the second quarter of this year, while 13,678 were due to expire by the end of August, according to the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
Under the Top Talent Pass Scheme launched in 2022, applicants need to prove that they are employed at a market rate for a job that aligns with their qualifications, or show that they have set up a business in Hong Kong, to qualify for an extension.
