YOUR GUIDE TO SERVICES IN HONG KONG English Version (Sixth Edition) HOME AFFAIRS BUREAU June 2005 Updated Edition We take pleasure in presenting the sixth edition of this Guidebook. This edition includes information that we hope will be just as useful to foreign domestic helpers, migrant workers, Hong Kong residents from other Southeast and South Asian countries. Many individuals and organisations - both within and outside the Government - contributed to the updating process. We take this opportunity to thank them. Since publishing the first edition of the English version of this Guidebook in December 1998, we have received many helpful comments and valuable suggestions from readers and support groups on ways to improve the contents. We hope that readers will continue this feedback and alert us to any outdated information. Since our aim is to ensure that the Guidebook remains useful and up-to-date and that each new edition is better than the last, we welcome your ideas. Kindly call us on 2835-1579 or contact us by - • fax: 2121-1716 • e-mail: [email protected] • mail: Race Relations Unit, Home Affairs Bureau, 31/F, Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai. Home Affairs Bureau June 2005 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Contents ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 1. Introduction …………………...……… 1 5. Getting Around Hong Kong ........... 41-48 MTR 2. Arriving in Hong Kong ......................2-5 KCRC Immigration KCR East Rail Customs KCR Ma On Shan Rail Getting into town KCR West Rail KCR Light Rail 3. ID Cards and Visas ........................... 6-11 Franchised bus services Applying for a Hong Kong ID card Minibuses At the Registration of Persons Office Trams Caring for your ID card Ferries When will my visa expire? Taxis Re-entry into Hong Kong Concessionary fares on public transport How do I renew my employment visa in Hong Kong? 6. Banks and Money ............................ 49-51 Application for resident’s status Hong Kong currency Enquiries Exchange rates Complaints Sending money back home 4. Working in Hong Kong ................. 12-40 7. Healthcare in Hong Kong .............. 52-72 What should I know as a worker recruited General out-patient clinics from abroad? The Hong Kong Hospital Authority Conditions of employment Accident and emergency medical services Employment agencies Treatment during long holidays What are your rights as a foreign domestic Tuberculosis and chest service helper? Social Hygiene Service Getting along with your employer AIDS related service centres Renewal of employment visa Family Health Service Completion of employment contract Maternal and Child Health Centres Termination of employment contract (MCHCs) Ill treatment, physical or sexual abuse Treat Hong Kong as your home Assistance from the Labour Department Your right to organise and other labour 8. Legal Assistance .............................. 73-75 rights Labour Relations Division Offices Job seeking Non-governmental organisations Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Legal information by phone Employment Contract (For A Domestic Duty Lawyer Scheme Helper recruited from abroad) Legal Aid Services Getting access to a lawyer 9. The Hong Kong Police Force ......... 76-80 15. Places of Worship ......................... 120-123 999 emergency calls Roman Catholic Police stations Anglican Your rights Aglipayan church Home security Other Christian churches Islamic 10. Preventing Corruption .................... 81-82 Buddhist Knowing and abiding by the law Hindu temple The Independent Commission Against Sikh temple Corruption (ICAC) Complaint and enquiry channels 16. Postal Services .............................. 124-131 General information 11. Equal Opportunities ........................ 83-84 Mail services What is the EOC? Postal rates Equal opportunities legislation Post office network What can the EOC do for you? Enquiry hotlines 12. Consumer Rights ........................... 85-87 17. Social Services ............................ 132-154 Buying parallel goods Helping to solve your problems Returning goods Integrated Family Service Centres Smart shopping tips (IFSCs)/Integrated Services Centres The Consumer Council (ISCs) Refuge centres for women 13. Social Activities, Culture and Temporary shelters Entertainment .......................... 88-109 The Family Planning Association of Hong Sports and leisure facilities Kong Public Libraries So you want to get married? Museums Registering births Civic Centres and Stadiums Child Care Centres Swimming pools Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Parks and open spaces (CSSA) Scheme Sight-seeing Addresses and telephone numbers of social security field units 14. Education and Vocational Training Methadone Treatment Programme .............................................. 110-119 Substance Abuse Clinics Hong Kong’s education system Treatment and Rehabilitation Services Beyond the schools provided by Non-government Vocational and Continuing Education Organisations Education and Support Services for non- Chinese speaking children 18. Living in Hong Kong ....................155-157 Placement Service Public housing Support Services Housing schemes offered by the Hong Kong Enquiries Housing Authority Housing schemes offered by the Hong Kong Housing Society 19. Tropical Cyclone and Rainstorm Warnings ................................ 158-162 Tropical cyclone signals Rainstorm warning signals Home Affairs Department (HAD) emergency hotline Temporary shelters Emergency Coordination Centres 20. Government Structure .................. 163-165 21. Public Enquiries and Hotlines ... 166-171 Home Affairs Department’s Public Enquiry Centres Useful hotlines 22. Local and International Telephone Calls ........................................172-173 Local calls International calls How to make an international call 23. Organisations Just for You ........... 174-189 Consulates General Migrant organisations, unions and NGOs Language programmes for ethnic minorities 24. Leaving Hong Kong .................... 190-197 Taking a flight Prayer room Getting to the airport Enquiry Major airlines 25. Helpful Chinese Place Names and Cantonese Phrases .............. 198-208 Chinese place names Handy phrases in Cantonese Chapter 1: Introduction Welcome to Hong Kong!! Below are some of the basic facts about the dynamic and vibrant Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) that is your new home. The HKSAR came into being in mid-1997 when sovereignty of the territory was returned to the People’s Republic of China, and comprises three main areas, Hong Kong Island, urban Kowloon and the New Territories with its many modern New Towns. Hong Kong: The facts* Area 1,098 square km Demographic characteristics Population 6.7 million Median age 36 Sex ratio 960 males per 1,000 females Ethnicity Chinese 6.36 million (94.9%) Non-Chinese 0.34 million (5.1%) Language Official Chinese and English Major dialect Cantonese Proportion of population able to 43% speak English Education Proportion of population with upper 52.2% secondary or higher education Employment Labour force participation rate 61.4% Median monthly income HK$12,000 (male) HK$8,900 (female) Religion Majority are Buddhists and Taoists * Figures on population, age, sex, ethnicity, education and employment are based on Population Census 2001. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 1 Chapter 2: Arriving in Hong Kong This and the ensuing chapters provide important information on employment and immigration matters as required by the authorities in Hong Kong. You are advised to update periodically with your own Consulate and/or relevant authorities of your place of origin concerning updated arrangements and policies on employment and immigration matters which may affect you during your stay in Hong Kong. Immigration Where do I go? What should I do? After you get off the plane, follow the signs to the Immigration counters. Then line up in front of one of the counters marked “Visitors”. The Immigration Officer will ask for your passport, immigration card and your copy of the original contract. If everything goes right, your passport will be stamped with a date stating the limit of your stay in Hong Kong. This is normally two years if you are a foreign domestic helper, starting from the date of your arrival in Hong Kong (please see Chapter 4 for more details). Once you clear Immigration, go to the assigned baggage collection carousel, get a trolley (they are free), collect your luggage and follow the other passengers to the Customs area. Customs Prohibited / Controlled Items Hong Kong is particularly strict about possible smuggling of drugs, firearms and other prohibited articles. Customs officers have the power to search not only all of your luggage, but also to arrange a personal search on you, if required (see below). Furthermore, Customs detector dogs may be deployed to patrol in the Arrival Hall and other areas of the Passenger Terminal. Therefore, do not attempt to bring in any of the following Prohibited / Controlled Items without a licence or permit: • Narcotics such as Opium, Morphine, Heroin, Cocaine, Cannabis, Methadone and other narcotic analgesics; • Psychotropic drugs, including most stimulants, hypnotics, tranquillizers and ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 2 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ sedatives such as Amphetamine, 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, commonly known as “Ecstasy”), Benzodiazephine, Quinalbarbitone, Methaqualone, Estazolam, Midazolam, Ketamine and others; • Antibiotics and other poisons such as Penicillin, Tetracycline, Corticosteroid and