The Transport Department (TD) announced today (March 20) that the second round of the Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Public Light Bus/Coach Trade (Scheme) will be open for application from next Monday (March 25).

     The application procedures and operational details of the Scheme are similar to those of the first round of application. Applicants who are interested in importing public light bus or coach drivers shall submit the completed application form together with the required documents to the TD between March 25 and April 26. An interdepartmental liaison group comprising representatives from the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Labour Department and the TD will vet the applications, and approval decisions will be made by the Commissioner for Transport. The approval process will be completed in about two months' time after the end of the application period.

     The TD will continue to engage in regular meetings with the stakeholder consultative group to listen to the views of stakeholders, including employers and labour representatives, on the Scheme. Information dissemination will also be enhanced through the consultative group in order to facilitate the smooth implementation and execution of the Scheme.

     The Scheme details and application form can be found on the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk/en/lispc/index.html). For enquiries, please call 2804 2600.

     Premised on safeguarding the employment of local labour, the Scheme was introduced in July last year to allow the transport sector to suitably import labour with a view to relieving the acute manpower shortage and facilitating the provision of reliable public transport services. A total of 969 quotas were approved under the first round of the Scheme in September last year, with about 70 per cent having submitted to the Immigration Department visa applications for imported labour. For about half of these submitted applications, the drivers have arrived to undergo driving training and driving tests in Hong Kong and have been/will be deployed to assigned routes.

Ends/Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Issued at HKT 17:00

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