Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS)
🇭🇰 Hong Kong visas · Work
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Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS)
Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS)
Hong Kong · Work
What it is
Hong Kong scheme (formerly the Supplementary Labour Scheme) under which employers may import workers at technician level or below where there is a genuine shortage of suitable local staff. The employer applies; the worker is admitted against an approved quota.
Key facts
- Category
- Work
- Duration
- Period of stay set by the Immigration Department for this scheme.
- Processing time
- Up to 6 weeks
- Dependants
- No
Standard figures for this route. Some applicants pay a reduced fee or none at all, so confirm your own case on the official page.
Fees
- Application fee (statutory fee (Cap. 115A Sch. 2))
- HKD 330
Key requirements
- Employer application under the ESLS
- Post at technician level or below
- Genuine difficulty recruiting locally
- Approved quota
Working on this visa
Employment for the importing employer under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme; stay follows the employment contract.
Bringing family
Not an eligible sponsor category under the prevailing dependant policy.
Money you must show
No likelihood of becoming a burden on the HKSAR (no amount)
Facts checked against the official source. Last updated 18 July 2026.