[GraemeK]

No doubt you've all been asked this before...

I will be sponsored by my employer, but I don't think my partner will be considered as my dependent - as we are a gay couple.

Obviously, he can get in for six months if he satisfies the tourist conditions - but can he convert to a work visa if he finds someone willing to sponsor him ?

The chinese embassy in London were not very helpful on this at all.

[flyingchair]

Technically you are not supposed to look for a job while here as a visitor. In practise, especially as a westerner, it is not a big issue. If you can find a company that will sponsor you, it would take something really silly for the application to be turned down.

Plenty of people do it - the immigration department turn a blind eye if you are nice and don't get uppety with them.

[shri]

I agree with everything that "the chair that flies" says with one caveat. Being a westerner will not mean things will be easier for you. I know of enough rejections and acceptances on the other side to convinced that it is a fair process.

Hong Kong remains a fairly easy place to work if you have the qualifications and you can find an employer who will sponsor you.

I'll get Nick Willshire to pop in and drop some pointers. He runs an immigration consultancy which may be of help you.

Regards,
Shri

[kevin]

I think that if you find someone willing to sponsor you then yes, you can work here. I am not sure what field your partner is in. There is good work in teaching but many other industries are going through a rough time and unemployment is at it's highest level ever, so don't expect it to be easy to find a job.

Good luck

[GraemeK]

Thanks for your encouragement. With me lined up to be sponsored already and Sean dusting off his teaching quals this doesn't seem such a daunting prospect as it was a week ago.

If he does change visitor -> work visa I assume this means a return trip to UK and apply from there once he has found a sponsor employer ?

Thanks again.

[shri]

No. He can apply locally and then do a quick trip to Macau or across the border to Shenzhen.

[Botox]

For all the talk of problems, provided you have the money and a personal guide who can talk Cantonese, I haven't really encountered any problems being a westerner coming to Hong Kong with the intention of living and working. That said, I haven't got a job yet But I've started getting interviews and trials, which all seem quite positive, and no employers have cited a working permit as any significant problem...

That said, Hong Kong does seem a little less politcally correct than most of Europe, so for example, if you're cocasian, fine, but if you're a filipino, you don't stand any legal chance. I'm not exactly sure how "fair" things are... Education and finances are probably fairly deciding factors.

[GraemeK]

Thanks. So, as long as I can afford to support him, then we should have at least the six month window.