Family members — wife, children, parents — can live with legitimate visa holders as they possess an appropriately named dependent/dependant visa. Such visa entitles the holder to stay in Hong Kong coterminous with their sponsors who hold a valid visa such as a typical employment visa issued by the Hong Kong Immigration. Also, dependant visa holders are allowed to work in Hong Kong without requiring them to apply for a working visa. Of course, as residents of Hong Kong, they also can avail of heavily-subsidized healthcare and other public services offered by the Hong Kong government.
If you are looking forward to living in Hong Kong (HKSAR) with a dependant visa then here is how you should go about it.
Eligibility:
The sponsor must have the right to abode or right to land in Hong Kong and as an applicant you must satisfy the following:
- Normal immigration requirements
- Hold a valid travel document with adequate returnability to your resident country
- Clear criminal record
- Relevant specific eligibility criteria
The person under whom you are applying for a dependent visa must be a permanent Hong Kong resident or a resident who does not have a limit applied on his stay in Hong Kong. If this condition is satisfied then you can apply for a dependent visa under him or her if you are:
- His/her spouse
- His/her unmarried dependent child under the age of 18
- His/her parent above the age of 60.
The person under whom you are applying for a dependent visa must be admitted into HKSAR to take up employment, or be a student in a full time program or someone who has the permit to stay in HKSAR under the Capital Investment Scheme. If this condition is satisfied then you can apply for a dependent visa under him or her if you are:
- His/her spouse
- His/her unmarried dependent child under 18 years of age
- Your application as a dependent will be permitted if:
- A reasonable proof that shows your relationship with the sponsor is presented
- There is no record of detriment of the supplicant
- Your living standards can be supported by the sponsor well above the subsistence level.
- You are provided a suitable accommodation with him/her in HKSAR
Application Forms
Obtain the application form ID 997 and complete its Part A. Get the Part B completed by the sponsor. You can obtain ID 997 from the following offices:
- Immigration Department Headquarters
- Immigration Branch Offices;
- Overseas Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions; and
- HKSAR Government offices outside Hong Kong.
Depending upon the position of the sponsor the type of application form you get can be from among the following:
- ID 990A- Application for Entry for Employment as Professionals in Hong Kong
- ID 992A- Application for Entry for Training in Hong Kong
- ID 995A- Application for Entry for Study in Hong Kong
- ID 999A- Application for Entry for Investment as Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong
- ID 1017- Application for Entry under the Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents
Supporting Documents
Here is the list of supporting documents you need to submit as an applicant.
- Application for entry for residence as dependents in HK
- A recent photograph
- Photocopy of a valid travel document with personal details
- Photocopy of your Hong Kong identity card
- Photocopy of the proof of your relationship with the sponsor
- Photocopy of your Macao identity cad
- Photocopy of your household registration in Taiwan
- Photocopy of your Taiwan Identity card
Here is the list of documents that your sponsor needs to submit
- ID 997 with Part B duly completed
- Photocopy of his/her Hong Kong identity card
- Photocopy of his/her valid travel document containing personal particulars
- Information about the current visa/entry permit/extension of stay label in the HKSAR
- Photocopy of proof of the sponsor’s financial standing
- Photocopy of proof of his/her accommodation
Here is the list of forms needed for your (applicant’s) extension of stay application
- ID 91 forms duly filled
- Your original and photocopied valid travel documents with personal details
- Photocopy of your Hong Kong identity card
- Photocopy of the sponsor’s valid travel document (showing personal particulars and current permission of stay) or Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card
- ID 481A from duly completed
- ID 481B form duly completed (only for dependent spouse)
Submission of Application
The application form ID 997 must be duly signed and completed
If the applicant is less than 16 years of age then the application must be signed by the parents or legal guardians.
You can submit the application forms along with the necessary documents in one of the following ways:
- By post directly or through the local sponsor to the Hong Kong Immigration Department
- Submission in the nearest Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in your place of domicile if you reside overseas
- Submission to the Immigration Division of the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing (Beijing Office) if you hold a foreign passport and are living in the Mainland.
Photo credit: Internations.org