[jmpnarnd]

Hi,
I have job offer from a HK company, who is sponsoring only me.
Can I apply for dependent visa for my wife while outside HK (i.e. before I come to HK) ?
How much time does dependent visa processing take ?
Since I am supposed to join soon after receiving the visa and in case dependent visa takes a long time (> 2 weeks), is it advisable that my wife travels on tourist visa with me and apply for dependent visa when staying in HK ?

How long can one stay on tourist visa in HK, considering that it can be extended ?

My mother-in-law stays with us and she is 70+ yrs old. Can I sponsor her for a dependent visa ?
Is it advisable that she travel with me on tourist visa and apply for dependent visa while in HK ?

Much thanks!
jmpnarnd

[PDLM]

Yes, you can apply for the Dependant Visa for your wife at the same time as you apply for the Employment Visa for yourself. They take similar lengths of time, 4-8 weeks, although there's no guarantee that the Dependant will be granted simultaneously.

If yours is granted first then your wife could come with you as a visitor and then when her Dependant is granted she would need to go out of HK and back in to activate it (just to Macau is fine).

Unfortunately, the rules say that your mother-in-law cannot be granted a Dependant Visa. Only Permanent Residents can sponsor their parents as Dependants. We have seen reports that exceptions have occasionally been made, but they are very, very rare and applications take some time to process. If your coming to Hong Kong is conditional on your mother-in-law being able to come with you then unfortunately I feel you may have a problem. You may be able to get her an extended visitor visa, but again this is not guaranteed and you would really need to talk to Immigration about your specific case to see what might be possible. Again, if your acceptance of the job is conditional on your mother-in-law being able to stay with you for an extended period then this could take a while to sort out.

Immigration: enquiry@immd.gov.hk