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APPLICATION FOR NO OBJECTION LETTER (NOL)

NOTES AND PROCEDURES
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  1. A No Objection Letter (NOL) spells out the type(s) and conditions of employment which the student may take up for individuals.
     

  2. 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. It is normally issued together with the visa permit.
     

  3. 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. 

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

      *      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.
       

  4. According to Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD), starting from 1 November 2024*, full-time non-local undergraduate and postgraduate students whose study period is not less than one academic year are temporarily exempted from the employment restrictions that they may take up employment in Hong Kong during the currency of their limit of stay or within the effective period as specified in the NOL issued.

    Students approved of visas/entry permits on or after 1 November 2024 shall be issued with the updated NOLs. For details, please refer to the NOL issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD) attached to your visa permit. 

    *The renewal process of NOL has been completed in November 2024, Current Undergraduate Students should contact their Faculty Office to obtain the updated NOLs.​

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EXTERNAL INFORMATION
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  1. ImmD Guidebook for Entry for Study in Hong Kong
     

  2. ImmD FAQs on Immigration Policy on Study

DISCLAIMER
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  1. The information listed above serves as references only according to the guidelines given by the Immigration of HKSAR. The Immigration reserves the right to change the eligibility criteria and details of the visa application arrangements from time to time without prior notice.          

  2. Approval of applications is entirely discretionary by the ImmD and is subject to changes in government policies. The Director of Immigration reserves absolute discretion to refuse any application even if the application meets all eligibility criteria. Admissions Office will not be responsible for any delay/cancellation/rejection in your student visa application.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            For enquiries, please click here.

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