Before engaging a recruiter for a Hong Kong role, check the actual agency, the service and the person paying each charge. A licence check does not prove a vacancy or guarantee immigration approval. This guide is for candidates comparing placement proposals: it explains the official job-seeker commission limit, separates the employer from the intermediary, and provides a promise-to-evidence record to use before agreeing terms or transferring money.
- 1. Identify who is actually offering the placement
- 2. Separate job-seeker commission from other proposed payments
- 3. Check the employer and role independently of the agency
- 4. Treat visa assistance as a separate, conditional process
- 5. Use a promise-to-evidence record before committing
- 6. Know where to take an unresolved concern
- 7. Frequently asked questions
1. Identify who is actually offering the placement
Start with the legal name of the business offering to introduce you to employment. Record its trading name, office, named contact and the entity that would sign the service agreement. A social-media account, a familiar group brand or a professional-looking website does not answer all of those questions. If different businesses appear in the advertisement, agreement and payment instructions, ask for the relationship in writing rather than assuming they are interchangeable.
The Labour Department's employment agency guidance says agencies must obtain a licence or Certificate of Exemption from the Commissioner for Labour before undertaking job-placement business. This is a requirement to check against the actual activity and entity. Describing a business as a headhunter, consultant or platform is not a reason to skip the question. If its status or the application of the rules is unclear, seek clarification from the Employment Agencies Administration, or EAA.
Use the official licensed-agency search, not a copied logo or a screenshot supplied by the salesperson. Record the name, address and date you checked. If you cannot reconcile the result with the business proposing to serve you, keep the status unresolved and ask EAA about the discrepancy. A failed spelling search is not, by itself, proof that a business is unlicensed; equally, a similar name is not confirmation that you found the correct entity.
The operator guidance also explains that a licence relates to the specified place of business and that separate-address branches need duplicate licences. Match the actual office involved instead of treating any licence within a group as sufficient evidence for every location. This article has not verified or endorsed any particular agency, including HKJobHunt or a company mentioned by a reader.
2. Separate job-seeker commission from other proposed payments
The operator guidance states that an agency's maximum commission from a job seeker is no more than 10% of the first month's wages received after successful placement. It says the provision applies to all job seekers. The candidate guidance also says an agency cannot collect other fees or expenses, directly or indirectly, in relation to job placement beyond the prescribed commission. Do not assume these protections concern only domestic-helper recruitment.
A clearly hypothetical calculation helps identify the basis: if the relevant first month's wages received were HK$25,000, 10% would be HK$2,500. This is an arithmetic illustration of the ceiling, not a quoted market salary, a recommended fee or a finding about what a particular person legally owes. Actual wages, the service and the facts still need checking. Do not calculate a candidate placement charge as a percentage of annual pay simply because a website describes an employer's headhunting fee that way.
Ask who is paying, what the charge purchases, who receives it, when it becomes payable and what happens if the proposed placement does not proceed. A fee labelled training, registration, administration or a refundable deposit is not automatically outside the rules if it is connected to placement. Conversely, do not declare every independently supplied service or official immigration charge illegal without checking its real nature and applicable rules. A bundled package needs item-by-item clarification; a change of label is not an answer.
Keep employer-paid recruitment charges, candidate commission, any genuinely separate service and government charges in distinct rows. A commercial agreement cannot be assessed merely by adding them into one total. The comparison below is an original reading aid, not a price list or a legal determination.
| Proposed item | Question to resolve | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate placement commission | Is the basis and timing consistent with the official candidate rule? | A guaranteed job or visa |
| Employer recruitment service | Who contracted for it and who actually pays? | That an annual-pay percentage may be charged to the candidate |
| Other named service | What is actually delivered and is it connected to placement? | That a new label avoids regulation |
| Government application charge | Which official process, payee and evidence identify it? | That an agency invoice is itself an official receipt |
3. Check the employer and role independently of the agency
Once there is an identifiable opportunity, ask for the employing entity, actual duties, work location, employment terms and interview arrangements. Record which information comes from the employer and which is the recruiter's explanation. A licence result concerns the intermediary; it does not establish that this employer authorized the advertisement, that a vacancy remains open or that the candidate fits it.
Contact the business through an independently located, appropriate public channel if you need to verify an invitation. Explain the role reference and ask whether the named recruiter or interview arrangement is authorized. Do not publish private correspondence or send your full identity documents widely as a way to verify the vacancy. Where confidentiality restricts an early search, ask what can be disclosed now, at which stage the employer will be identified, and what commitment is requested before that happens.
Unresolved confidentiality is not automatically fraud, but it also is not evidence of a real offer. If the requested payment or resignation depends on information you cannot check, keep that decision pending. Record the question, the answer and its source. Avoid a binary safe-or-scam score based on a logo, a company record or one positive review; different checks address different risks.
For the earlier search and first-contact stage, use our Hong Kong employer contact guide. This article adds intermediary identity, fee responsibility and promise verification rather than repeating a general list of job-search channels. There is no partner-employer list or available-job inventory implied by the examples.
4. Treat visa assistance as a separate, conditional process
An agency may help coordinate documents, but recruitment interest and immigration permission remain different outcomes. The Immigration Department's GEP page sets out professional employment criteria and says decisions are made by the department. A confirmed offer does not remove the other conditions or the department's discretion. A recruiter cannot turn an introduction into a guaranteed grant by promising a fixed result in a service package.
Mainland Chinese residents should check the appropriate scope of ASMTP, rather than assuming every overseas candidate uses GEP. Other backgrounds and permissions may involve different arrangements. Our route and document handoff guide helps organize the questions; it is not a substitute for individual assessment. The route cannot be selected simply to match a salesperson's cheapest package.
Ask what the recruiter means by sponsorship: an employer willing to discuss a role, an actual written appointment, company documents being prepared, an application submitted, or a formal decision. Request evidence appropriate to the claimed stage. An internal case number is not necessarily a government receipt, and a receipt is not a decision. Do not alter qualifications, work history, duties or pay to make the proposal look eligible.
For recruitment preparation, you can submit your job-search background to discuss your résumé, interviews and questions for potential employers under the confirmed service arrangements. Any placement, representation or regulated advice requires its own verified scope and appropriate agreement. This invitation is not a statement that a licence, partnership or particular employer has been confirmed.
5. Use a promise-to-evidence record before committing
Use six fields: the exact promise; the relevant entity; the fee and proposed payer; the document and check date; the unresolved question and responsible contact; and the next decision. Keep promises separate even when they arrive in one message. A licence, employer authorization, written role, candidate-fee basis and immigration stage each need their own evidence.
An original hypothetical row might record: “interview arranged,” agency name supplied, candidate fee not yet explained, calendar invitation received, employer authorization still to confirm, no payment decision yet. Another might record a proposal described as guaranteed visa approval despite only an unsigned service quotation. These are teaching examples, not allegations against a named business or accounts of actual customers. Neither a tidy spreadsheet nor a completed checklist establishes legality.
Before signing or paying, compare the service agreement, payee and invoice. Ask for the cancellation and refund terms, the precise deliverables and who handles a disagreement. Request an appropriate receipt for any payment actually made; the official candidate guidance specifically recommends obtaining one for commission. A refund promise should be read, not treated as protection against every risk. Do not give someone remote control of banking or send an account login merely because they are handling recruitment.
Keep a version of the advertisement, proposed terms, messages and any real payment evidence you are entitled to retain. Save the original context and dates rather than editing a conversation to fit your conclusion. If another contact replaces the original salesperson, send a concise list of unresolved items and ask who is responsible. A new contact should not silently turn “awaiting confirmation” into “verified.”
6. Know where to take an unresolved concern
The EAA's enquiry and complaint page provides routes for suspected legal contraventions or non-compliance with the agency Code of Practice. Use its current instructions to provide relevant facts and evidence. Do not assume that submitting a complaint immediately recovers money, proves an offence or resolves your immigration position; these are separate outcomes.
Prepare a short chronology: who offered the service, which entity appears on the agreement, what was requested, what was actually paid if anything, and what remains disputed. Distinguish a request for payment from a completed transfer, and an agency's explanation from a fact independently established. Ask EAA about licensing or commission uncertainty rather than relying on a social-media comment to decide a complex jurisdiction question involving several countries.
If a role may still be genuine but a service term is unresolved, tell the appropriate contact exactly which decision is paused. Do not make a false accusation to obtain a faster answer or assume silence proves criminal conduct. Where document misuse, threats or other serious issues arise, seek the appropriate official or professional assistance for those facts. This guide does not provide an investigation or determine liability.
For immigration detail, see the verified PremierVisa Group professional-employment page. Keep it alongside the official rules, not in place of them. Your immediate objective is a clear, evidenced decision about one service and one role, not buying certainty about employment, work permission or future permanent residence.
7. Frequently asked questions
Does a valid agency licence mean the job is genuine?
It addresses the agency's licensing status. Separately verify the employer, authorization, vacancy and terms; it does not establish an immigration outcome or endorse every promise made by a staff member.
Is the candidate commission limit based on annual salary?
The official rule refers to the first month's wages received after successful placement, with a maximum of 10%. Do not substitute an employer-side annual-salary recruitment quote for that candidate rule.
Can a placement fee become unrestricted if called training?
A label does not decide the issue. The official guidance covers direct and indirect fees or expenses connected to placement beyond the prescribed commission. Ask EAA about the real arrangement if unclear.
Can the recruiter guarantee a work visa?
Recruitment and document assistance cannot remove immigration criteria or the department's decision. Ask for the actual stage and evidence, and avoid commitments based on a promised guaranteed grant.
Should I pay just to keep a confidential vacancy open?
First resolve the entity, service, fee basis and evidence needed for that decision. Confidentiality is not proof of fraud or proof of a vacancy. Do not treat urgency as a substitute for those checks.
Start with the six-field record and the questions you cannot yet answer. If you need help preparing employer conversations, submit your background; confirm the actual service scope before making any agreement.
Prepared with AI assistance. General career information; no named professional review has been confirmed. AI cover illustration does not depict our staff, clients or partner employers.