Eligibility Criteria For Hong Kong Dependant Visa
For foreign citizens who have a valid Hong Kong visa for work, investment, training, or study in Hong Kong, or who are permanent residents in Hong Kong, the Dependant Visa is essentially a relocation visa for spouses and unmarried children under the age of eighteen.
Every family member must submit a different application and have the primary visa holder sponsor it.
The duration of the sponsor’s stay in Hong Kong determines the duration of the dependent’s stay. Stated differently, the Dependant Visa holder is allowed to reside, work, and pursue education in Hong Kong for the duration that the Principal Visa holder is allowed to remain in Hong Kong.
Who is eligible to apply?
The following dependents may seek to live with their sponsor in Hong Kong, contingent on the sponsor’s residency status.
Category A – For a sponsor who resides in Hong Kong permanently or without restriction (i.e., has the right to land or is granted an indefinite stay):
- Spouse
- Unmarried children below 18 years of age (including legally adopted)
- Parents aged 60 years and above
Category B – For a sponsor who has been granted a visa for professional employment, investment to start or join a business, training, enrollment in a full-time undergraduate or graduate program at a nearby university that grants degrees, or entry-level permission to stay in Hong Kong under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme:
- Spouse
- Unmarried children below 18 years of age (including legally adopted)
The requirements listed below must be met in order to apply for a dependent visa:
- Reasonable evidence of a true relationship between the sponsor and the applicant (i.e., dependent) is required.
- There shouldn’t be any records that the applicant could find detrimental.
- The sponsor must be able to prove that he can offer the dependents with adequate housing and considerable support while they are in Hong Kong.
This entry arrangement does not apply to the following categories of persons:
- Chinese residents of the Mainland (except for those who fall under Category B mentioned above)
- Former Mainland Chinese residents residing in Macau who have acquired residence in Macau through channels other than the One-way Permit Scheme
- Nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Cuba and Korea
What documents are needed?
Documents that applicants must submit:
- Completed Dependant Visa Application Form. For a child applicant under the age of 16, the form must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of the child.
- Dependants whose sponsors are applying for visas either for employment as a professional, for investment to join in/establish a business, for training or for studies, need not fill in the separate Dependant Visa Application Form. This is because the application forms for employment visas, investment visas, training visas and visas meant for studies have a built in section for dependants and can be completed along with the sponsor’s principal application and submitted together.
- A copy of the personal particulars page of your passport. If you are currently staying in Hong Kong, a copy of your passport page containing the latest arrival stamp/extension of stay label in Hong Kong. If you are a Chinese resident of the Mainland who has not been issued with a travel document you may submit a photocopy of your People’s Republic of China resident identity card.
- A copy of your Hong Kong identity card (if any)
- A copy of your Macau identity card (if you are a resident of Macau)
- A copy of your household registration in Taiwan and Taiwan identity card (if you are a resident of Taiwan)
- A copy of proof of your relationship with the sponsor, e.g. marriage certificates, birth certificates, family photographs, family letters, census record book and Privilege Card for Single Child (if applicable)
Documents to be submitted by sponsors:
- A copy of the personal particulars page of the sponsor’s passport. If the sponsor is currently staying in Hong Kong, a copy of the sponsor’s passport page containing the latest arrival stamp/extension of stay label in Hong Kong
- A copy of the sponsor’s Hong Kong identity card (if any)\
- Part B of the Dependant Visa Application Form
- A copy of proof of the sponsor’s financial standing, e.g. bank statements, savings accounts passbooks, tax receipts and salary slips
- A copy of proof of sponsor’s accommodation, e.g. rental receipts
Dependant Visa renewal
At least four weeks before to the expiration of the stay limit, you can seek to have your dependent visa renewed. Only if you and your sponsor continue to be legitimate residents of Hong Kong and fulfill the requirements for entrance as dependents will your renewal application be taken into consideration.
In the event that the application is granted, the stay extension with regard to:
- Dependants of persons who are Hong Kong permanent residents or residents who are not subject to a limit of stay (i.e. a resident with the right to land or on unconditional stay), will normally follow the 3-3 years pattern for the spouse and unmarried dependant children under the age of 18, and the 2-2-3 years pattern for the parents aged 60 or above.
- Dependants of persons who have been admitted into Hong Kong to take up employment or studies, or who are permitted to remain in Hong Kong as entrants under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme or Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, will be linked to that of their sponsors.
Can holders of dependent visas work in Hong Kong?
- Dependants of the following persons are eligible to take up employment in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong permanent residents
- Persons who are not subject to a limit of stay (i.e. residents with the right to land or on unconditional stay)
- Persons who have been admitted for employment (as professionals, for investment to establish/join in business or for training) and
- Entrants under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme or the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme
- Dependants of persons who have been admitted into Hong Kong to study are not eligible to take up employment in Hong Kong unless prior permission from the Director of Immigration has been obtained
- Dependant Visa holders need not apply for a separate Employment Visa in order to work in Hong Kong
Can holders of Dependent Visas pursue education in Hong Kong?
Certainly. No prior permission from the Director of Immigration is needed for any dependent to study in Hong Kong. Holders with dependent visas are able to study in Hong Kong without applying for a separate student visa.
Hong Kong permanent residence
As long as you meet the requirements, you can petition for permanent residence in Hong Kong, also known as the “Right of Abode,” if you have been granted a dependent’s visa and have lived there continuously for at least seven years.
To Learn more about Hong Kong Dependant Visa & want help applying to the program, Contact us today!
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Simard & Associates helps clients apply for citizenship and residence under the applicable programs. To schedule an initial free consultation, get in touch with us.
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Simard & Associates helps clients apply for citizenship and residence under the applicable programs. To schedule an initial free consultation, get in touch with us.
