[jenifa]

Hi I should be moving to HK in October. My husband is going to work there and will be applying for a work visa (hopefully his company will help).

I will be applying for a dependant/resident visa.

My questions are:

Would my husband be my 'sponsor'? We will be applying at the same time, so whilst my application is being processed he won't yet have a visa.

Or does his company sponsor me as his dependent?

Or do I wait till he has got his work visa, and we've moved to hong kong (with me entering as a standard tourist) - and then apply for a dependent visa once he's working and has an ID card etc?

The immigration website is really no help at all, so any information is appreciated. (We're both british citizens)

Thanks

Jen

[vmlinuz]

As I understand it - and I could be very wrong - the way to do it is wait for him to get his visa, then apply as a dependent of his. I think at that point it's pretty much a rubber-stamp, as long as you've got fair proof of dependency status - i.e. proof of marriage.

For what it's worth, getting a visa and getting an ID card are different things. You can't get an ID card until after you've got a visa, as far as I know, and you need to get an ID card within a certain time once you have an active long-term (longer than tourist) visa, but I'd think you could get your visa once he has his, rather than waiting an extra month or so for him to get his ID card as well.

Remember that you will both get 6 months as a tourist when you arrive, so unless you're in a real hurry to start working, you can take your time with the paperwork, once his is moving. Also, for the record, his company will apply for the visa, not him - as I understand it, the standard idea is that the company is applying for a visa for an employee, rather than the individual applying for their own visa.

[jenifa]

Thanks vmlinuz - that's very helpful.

In one of the other threads someone said you can't rent a property until you have an id card. So presumambly my husband has to get that sorted as soon as we get to HK? And get mine once I've got my visa?

And finally--- I didn't change my name when we got married - we have the marriage certificate to prove we're married, but are different surnames likely to cause a problem when applying for a dependent visa?

Cheers

Jen

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by jenifa

Thanks vmlinuz - that's very helpful.

In one of the other threads someone said you can't rent a property until you have an id card. So presumambly my husband has to get that sorted as soon as we get to HK? And get mine once I've got my visa?

And finally--- I didn't change my name when we got married - we have the marriage certificate to prove we're married, but are different surnames likely to cause a problem when applying for a dependent visa?

Cheers

Jen

Different surnames make no difference here! Women here don't change their family names when they marry unless, in some situations of course, they marry a westerner who insists!

Actually an ID card isn't exactly a prerequisite to being able to rent a property, I rented my first apartment here without one (I'd lost it), but it helps. When you view apartments you will view under the watching eye of both the propety agent and usually the person who owns it. Not always, but if you do and the landlord likes the look of you then it's negotiation time. Sometimes very easy - you'll know because the property agent will be on the phone 5 mins after you leave asking if you want to rent.

[HKFella]

Speaking from 8-9 years ago when I'd been transferred to HK and was curious about progress of friends' apps, I've known of a fair number of cases of visa apps of whole family being handled and granted in one lot, instead of being done sequentially. Employer is sponsor of the primary applicant who is the sponsor of the spouse. The company letter supporting the primary applicant can say things like - we urge you to grant an employment visa to Mr. xyz and dependant visas for his family consisting of...... , all at an early date so they can move here and Mr. xyz can come on board with us asap (employer is not really the sponsor of the spouse but it's just a letter of support) - Immigration Dept knows how to handle these.

[jenifa]

Thank you everyone, that's really helpful.

My next question relates to the length of the visa.

The job my husband is moving to do is a permanent (i.e. not contract) position. Can we get indefinite work and dependant visas, or are they all timebound? And if so for how long?

Thanks

jen

[PDLM]

An Employment Visa is normally granted for one year initially then renewed in two-year chunks. 1-2-2-2-2 (once you get into that last 2 you should be eligible to apply for Permanent right of abode). But this isn't fixed. For some reason mine has gone 1-2-2-1-3.

The Dependent visa follows the term of the person on the Employment Visa.

Renewal is a very much easier process than the initial application. But note that the Employment Visa is linked to a specific sponsoring company, so if you wish to move companies you have to apply to transfer the sponsorship, which is a process pretty similar to the initial application.

[mano]

Or do I wait till he has got his work visa, and we've moved to hong kong (with me entering as a standard tourist) - and then apply for a dependent visa once he's working and has an ID card etc?

Ask if your husbands company can do your application at the same time, to be linked with his. I am doing the same thing at the moment, and we have sent both our application forms off together. No need to wait for him to get his first.