People walk along a foot bridge connected to the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Oct 26, 2023. (SHAMIM ASHRAF / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Full-time non-local postgraduate students will be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on working part-time jobs from Nov 1, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced on Thursday.

This arrangement will run on a trial basis for two years, the government said in a statement.

Currently, eligible students who have been approved to come to Hong Kong to study in full-time locally accredited local programs at the postgraduate level will be issued a letter of no objection by the Immigration Department, allowing them to take up part-time employment on campus for no more than 20 hours per week, curriculum-related internships during semesters, or summer jobs.

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As a Policy Address initiative, lifting the restrictions will allow more room for such students to look for jobs during their studies to enhance their experience and understanding of working in Hong Kong, and further increase their incentive to stay in the city after graduation, the government explained.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced this measure while delivering his second Policy Address on Wednesday, saying that it will enhance learning and enrichment opportunities for international students.

He said more than 35,000 students are expected to benefit from this initiative during the two-year trial period.

“The trial arrangement will allow more room for these students to look for jobs during their studies to enhance their experience and understanding of working in Hong Kong, and further increase their incentive to stay in Hong Kong for their development after graduation,” a government spokesman said on Thursday.

The Immigration Department said it will hold briefing sessions for schools this week to elaborate on the arrangement. It will subsequently send the updated letters of no objection setting out the new suspension to eligible students via their schools. 

As such, those students are not required to submit applications separately, according to the statement.

Students approved of visas or entry permits on or after Nov 1 will also receive such letters, the department added.

Presenting his Policy Address, the CE also proposed doubling the admission quota of non-local students by government-funded post-secondary institutions to 40 percent, and strengthen scholarship and related support to attract more overseas and mainland students to further education in Hong Kong to build an international hub for post-secondary education and promote diversified youth development. 

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“In 2024, we will launch a new round of the Land Grant Scheme and Start-up Loan Scheme in a bid to support self-financing post-secondary institutions in developing and enhancing their campuses for supporting more teaching and learning activities,” he said.