Unaccompanied minor on dependent visa

Sue&Safia · 12-07-2009, 12:23 PM

I live and work in HK and have a HK ID card. My 8 year old is living here as my dependent, so has a dependant visa and British passport.

She travelled to the UK as an unaccompanied minor with Virgin Atlantic. When my sister took her to Heathrow for her return flight to HK, VA insisted that she buy a return ticket back to the UK or they wouldn't let her board the flight. They claim that she wouldn't she wouldn't get through immigration at HK as she had no proof of entitlement to live there. Fortunately my sister had the funds to buy her ticket (refundable) but if her father had taken her it would have been a different story as he is unemployed and doesn't have a credit card.

Nothing I had read prior to her travel indicated this would be the case. I thought she would be fine with a dependent visa. When we moved here and didn't have a HK ID card I didn't have a return ticket and this wasn't an issue then. This can't be an unusual situation so I'd be interested to know how other people deal with this.

Thanks.

Sue

Boris · 12-07-2009, 04:13 PM

If your talking about your daughters ticket and she had her own passport with a dependent visa endorsement then seems a little strange as the endorsement was proof of right to enter.

Seems strange that she did not enter the UK with a return ticket, which I would have thought would have flagged he to the UK Immg as not planning to return, unless she is a UK passport holder. They would have a reason to refuse entry if a foreign national HK or not.

Also strange if you only bought one way ticket as its an expensive option against a changeable end return ticket.

drumbrake · 13-07-2009, 03:15 PM

If you need to get on the plane you don't have much choice other than do what the airline wants - even if this means buying a new refundable ticket. Arguing with airline staff at the check in desk is not a good idea. Once back in Hong Kong though, I would complain to the Virgin office and ask for compensation as well as a full refund for the new ticket bought.

Sue&Safia · 13-07-2009, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by Boris:

If your talking about your daughters ticket and she had her own passport with a dependent visa endorsement then seems a little strange as the endorsement was proof of right to enter.

Seems strange that she did not enter the UK with a return ticket, which I would have thought would have flagged he to the UK Immg as not planning to return, unless she is a UK passport holder. They would have a reason to refuse entry if a foreign national HK or not.

Also strange if you only bought one way ticket as its an expensive option against a changeable end return ticket.

She had a return ticket HK->UK->HK but they made us buy another one for HK->UK

Boris · 13-07-2009, 11:39 PM

Then I would make a high level complaint to Virgin. They don't like bad publicity. If, as you say she was returning to HK on the return part of the ticket, what was said was pure BS.

I doubt if anyone has ever had that experience. Very strange.