[Mark Laz]

Hello all,

I have a VISA to work in Macau, yet choose to come back to Hong Kong every day, to the flat I share with my girlfriend. I have nothing other than a tourist visa each time I re-enter Hong Kong. My girlfriend has an employment visa & HKID etc. People suggested before I moved that this was fine, but since being out here others have expressed doubt about the legitimacy of this.

Any thoughts? Any solutions?

Thanks in advance.

[KnowItAll]

Mark, You might also want to consider that non-residents have to go through the tourist queues -- which can be pretty long during peak hours.

Your passport will get stamps on each entry / exit -- which means the lifespan of your travel document will be greatly reduced.

You might want to send an email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk and see if there is a way you can apply for an HK visa / get a HK ID card under the circumstances.

[Mark Laz]

Thanks for the advice KIA (oo-err, just realised your acronym has a sinister twin).

[flyingchair]

I think you will be out of luck. Coming back to HK because you prefer this side of the Strait to sleep is not a basis for any form of entry apart from being a visitor. And without some form of authorised residency beyond visitor status you must use an immigration form which means a stamp.

The only thing you could do is perhaps apply for an extended visitors visa. I don't think that will stop the stamps but it might help with the questioning you will eventually start to go through after a while.

[KnowItAll]

Or get work to justify your presence in Hong Kong in some manner or another -- so you have work visas for both Macau / HK. If you're with one of the newer brands that has setup -- the process should be fairly painless.

[pin]

Just throwing this one out, but I could be totally wrong, could you not get a dependant visa on the back of you g/f working in HK?

[KnowItAll]

pin -- need to be married or show plans to get married (rare but possible to get a fiance backed long term visa).

[Mark Laz]

Thanks for the advice from all.

I emailled the enquiries address KIA supplied. They basically said I had no right to any kind of visa, but coming back very day was ok. My status remains a visitor the whole time though....

[KnowItAll]

I'd keep a printout of that email in your passport if I were you.

[Mark Laz]

It's funny you should say that - they phoned back. I thought the whole exchange was a little odd and keep replaying it looking for misinterpretation.

Of course now I've got self chinese-whispers and I'm convinced I can here the boots of immigration running to my front door.....