Hong Kong dependant visa

Sponsors can be Hong Kong permanent residents, residents with the right to land or unconditional stay, and people admitted for employment, investment, training or full-time local study, or under schemes such as QMAS, TTPS and the New CIES. The dependants who can come are a spouse, or a civil partner or civil union partner whose relationship is legally recognised where it was entered into, and unmarried dependent children under 18.

Parents aged 60 or above can be sponsored only by permanent residents or residents with unconditional stay. Fiancés, de facto partners and cohabitants are not covered. Nationals of Afghanistan and the DPRK are excluded.

ImmD may approve an application where there is reasonable proof of a genuine relationship, no known record against the applicant, and the sponsor can support the dependant at a standard well above subsistence level and provide suitable accommodation in Hong Kong. Normal immigration requirements also apply, such as a valid travel document and no security or criminal concerns. Approval is discretionary.

The applicant provides a recent photo, passport, any Hong Kong identity card and proof of the relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate and supporting evidence like family photographs. The sponsor provides a Hong Kong identity card, passport or visa, proof of financial standing and proof of accommodation. Civil registry documents not in English or Chinese need certified English or Chinese translations.

Applications are submitted online through GovHK with all documents uploaded; a parent or guardian signs for applicants under 16. Entry applications normally take about six weeks once all documents and fees are in. Dependants of people in the specified schemes pay the HK$600 application fee and, after approval, the HK$1,300 issuance fee for stays over 180 days; other dependants pay the HK$330 ordinary visa fee shown in the fee table.

Dependants of employment and scheme entrants normally get a stay linked to the sponsor's. Dependants of permanent residents and residents with unconditional stay normally receive extensions on a 3-3 year pattern for spouses and children and 2-2-3 for parents. Dependants of students get 12 months at a time. Extensions continue only while the relationship and sponsorship remain in place; a divorce or the sponsor's death can end eligibility. Extension applications take about two to three weeks.

Dependants of permanent residents, residents with unconditional stay and people admitted for employment, investment or the talent schemes are not prohibited from working. Dependants of students need prior permission from the Director of Immigration to work. All dependants may study without prior permission. After seven years of continuous ordinary residence a dependant can apply for the right of abode.