APPLICATION FOR NO OBJECTION LETTER (NOL)

NOTES AND PROCEDURES

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1. Non-local students should obtain a valid No Objection Letter (NOL) from the Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD) before taking up any internship in Hong Kong.
    

2. Under Regulation 2 of the Immigration Regulations, Cap 115A, permission given to a person to land in Hong Kong as a student shall be subject to the conditions of stay that, inter alia, he/she shall not take any employment, whether paid or unpaid. The restriction in respect of internship and part-time employment for non-local students has been further relaxed from 17 March 2014 onwards. Non-local students of full-time locally-accredited local or non-local programmes at undergraduate level or above whose study period is not less than one academic year may take up internship subject to the following conditions:

   • The internships must be study/curriculum-related and be arranged or endorsed by the institutions that they are studying in; and

   • the duration of the internship is up to one academic year, or one-third of the normal duration of the relevant full-time academic programme, whichever is the shorter. 

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​*There is no restriction on the nature of work, level of salary, location, number of working hours and employers for the internship arrangment.

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*Non-local students who have not yet registered or have fulfilled all graduation requirements of the study programme are not allowed to take up any internship employment.

 

  3. NOL Application must be completed in advance of the internship employment period. You should obtain a supporting

      letter from your Faculty office and submit application documents to ImmD directly at Immigration Tower 5/F Extension

      Section. Documents should include:

           (i) A copy of employment contract from the company:

           (ii) A copy of the supporting letter from Faculty;

           (iii) A copy of your Hong Kong Identity Card, passport, visa label and the latest landing slip;

           (iv) A copy of your HKU student card 
 

  4. Under normal circumstances, it takes around 2-3 weeks for ImmD to process the application and the approval notification will be

      sent to you via email.
 

  5. You must inform your Faculty office immediately should there be any updates or changes on the internship 

      (such as employment start date, end date or duration).
 

  6. You should apply for a new NOL if it is expired before taking up an internship.

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  7. According to Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD), starting from 1 November 2023, full-time non-local postgraduate

      students would be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up employment in Hong Kong. For exact terms           and conditions, please refer to the revised NOL for details.

      The ImmD will issue to eligible students through the institution new NOLs setting out the relaxation. Eligible students are NOT

      required to submit such applications separately. Current Students should contact their Faculty Office to obtain the updated NOLs.

      Students approved of visas/entry permits on or after 1 November 2023 shall be issued with the updated NOLs. 

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  8. According to Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD), starting from 1 November 2024, full-time non-local undergraduate

      students would be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up employment in Hong Kong. For exact terms           and conditions, please refer to the revised NOL for details.

      The ImmD will issue to eligible students through the institution new NOLs setting out the relaxation. Eligible students are NOT

      required to submit such applications separately. Current Students should contact their Faculty Office to obtain the updated NOLs*.

      Students approved of visas/entry permits on or after 1 November 2024 shall be issued with the updated NOLs. 

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*Due to the large number of students, it is expected that the updated NOLs will be issued from late November to early December 2024. Please wait for the renewal process patiently.

**You may use the current NOL if needed. The current NOL remains valid.

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