Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes (“Special Scheme”)
Background and Objectives
To address the shortage of and increasing demand for care workers, and to assist the residential care homes (RCHs) sector in enhancing service quality, the Government, on the premise of safeguarding the employment priority for local workers, launched the Special Scheme on 19 June 2023 to allow RCHs for the elderly (RCHEs), RCHs for persons with disabilities (RCHDs) and nursing homes (NHs) to import care workers on an appropriate scale, relax the ratio of imported care workers to local staff, and streamline the vetting procedures for applications.
Eligibility for Application
RCHEs issued with licences under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance (Cap. 459), RCHDs issued with licences under the Residential Care Homes (Persons with Disabilities) Ordinance (Cap. 613), and NHs issued with letters of exemption under the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633).
Application & Enquiries
- The Special Scheme accepts RCHEs, RCHDs and NHs to submit applications for quotas within a specified application period of about two weeks. The actual dates of accepting application will be announced at appropriate time in the "What's New" of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) website.
- The eighth round application of the Special Scheme ended. RCH operators who wish to obtain quotas for importation of care workers can submit applications within the next specified application period. RCH operators may submit applications online (the hyperlink of the E-form will be provided later), or download the application form on this page and submit the completed application form together with the required documents in person or by post, to Contract Management Section (Oi Kwan Road Office) of the SWD. The processing time is around 2 months. Before making application, please refer to the “Booklet on the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes” and “Points to Note” in the Application Form for details of the application procedures.
- The ninth round application of the Special Scheme will be launched in April 2026. Details will be announced in March 2026.
- The form of “List of In-employ Imported Care Worker” (Annex 3 to the application form) is now available in Excel format, which can be downloaded from “Forms/Documents/Reference Materials of the Special Scheme”. For illustration to complete the form of “List of In-employ Imported Care Worker” (Excel version), please click here.
- Starting from 13 November 2025, employers must submit the form of “Notice of Completion of Employment Contract with Imported Care Workers” (available only in Chinese) to Contract Management Section (Oi Kwan Road Office) of the SWD within 7 days after expiry of employment contract with imported care workers. The form can be downloaded from “Forms/Documents/Reference Materials of the Special Scheme”. Please note that if an imported care worker does not complete the contract and leaves employment early, the employer must submit the form of “Notice of Termination of Employment Contract with Imported Care Workers” to Contract Management Section (Oi Kwan Road Office) of the SWD.
- For enquiries, please contact our office at:
| Address | Contract Management Section (Oi Kwan Road Office) Room 306, 3/F, Lady Trench Training Centre, 44 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., except public holidays) |
|---|---|
| Telephone | 3468 3923 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., except public holidays) |
| Fax | 3468 2002 |
| cmenq2@swd.gov.hk |
Forms/Documents/Reference Materials of the Special Scheme
- Booklet
| Item / Name | Download File |
|---|---|
| Booklet on the Special Scheme to Import Care Workers for Residential Care Homes (2/2025) | PDF (Text-only version) |
- Application Form and Annexes
| Item / Name | Download File |
|---|---|
| Application Form (with "Points to Note" and "Requirements on the Recruitment Advertisement of Local Care Worker(s)") (10/2025) | PDF Online Form |
| Confirmation Form on Local Recruitment (Annex 1 to Application Form) (10/2025) | |
| Information of Full-time Local Employees of Residential Care Home (Annex 2 to Application Form) (10/2025) | |
| List of In-employ Imported Care Worker (Annex 3 to Application Form) (3/2025) | Excel |
| List of Imported Care Workers (Including Replacement of Imported Care Workers) Not Yet Arrived In Hong Kong while Approval-In-Principle for Importation Under the Supplementary Labour Scheme / Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme / Quota(s) under the Special Scheme Have Been Granted (Annex 4 To Application Form) (10/2025) | |
| Information of Imported Workers of Other Labour Importation Schemes (Annex 5 to Application Form) (10/2025) | |
| Illustration to Complete the e-Form |
- Documents related to Visa/Entry Permit Applications of Imported Care Workers
| Item / Name | Download File |
|---|---|
| Declaration and Authorisation Form (for Imported Care Workers' completion only) (3/2025) | |
| Joint Declaration Form on Importing Workers from the Mainland to Hong Kong (3/2025) | PDF (Chinese only) |
- Follow-up Documents after Approval of Quotas
| Item / Name | Download File |
|---|---|
| Declaration of Accommodation Particulars of Imported Care Workers (2/2025) | |
| Acknowledgment Record of Standard Employment Contract (2/2025) | |
| Notice of Termination of Employment Contract with Imported Care Workers (2/2025) | PDF (Chinese only) |
| Application for Replacement of Imported Care Workers (2/2025) | PDF (Chinese only) |
| Notice of Change of Residence (2/2025) | PDF (Chinese only) |
| Notice of Completion of Employment Contract with Imported Care Workers | PDF (Chinese only) |
- Other Documents
| Item / Name | Download File |
|---|---|
| Application Form for Appeal on Application Result (5/2025) | PDF(Chinese only) |
- Reference Materials
| Item / Name | Download File |
|---|---|
| The Powerpoint Slides of an Online Briefing Session about the Special Scheme (8/2024) | PDF(Chinese only) |
| Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the Special Scheme (3/2025) | PDF(Chinese only) |
Point to note
Employers who are granted quotas to import care workers under the Special Scheme and intend to import care workers from the Mainland must recruit the care workers through the Mainland labour service enterprises approved by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and granted the permission to operate business on labour service cooperation with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. We appeal to employers and Mainland residents seeking to work in Hong Kong under the Special Scheme to stay vigilant and ascertain the capability of the enterprises to operate the business to avoid being deceived or misled, which may result in financial loss or delay in the processing of applications. The list of Mainland labour service enterprises is available on the website of the Ministry of Commerce.
Other Information
According to the latest statistics of the Census and Statistics Department, the median monthly wage for care worker is HKD$15,120 (9 hours of normal working hours per day excluding meal break).