Bringing Along my wife

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    7

    Bringing Along my wife

    hi, I'll be marrying my fiance in Manila this coming March and hope to bring her along here in Hong Kong after we marry. What I have here is a working visa and I'd like to apply a dependent visa for her. My questions are, (1) Is it perfectly ok to tag along my wife and apply for a dependent visa here? (2) what would be wiser get her a one-way air ticket or still a two-way air ticket? (We would be bringing our marriage contract and other pertinent papers when I bring her along anyway).

    Also, my working visa will be expiring on April but I will be re-applying for it again with the help of the company I am working with. Will there be any problems that I could encounter and if so, what can I do to avoid such?

    Hope someone can give me an insight on this as well as other things I may have missed out... which I'm sure I have.

    Thanks,
    JV

    Last edited by manilaboy; 29-01-2004 at 01:06 PM.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Shatin
    Posts
    122

    You are much better off marrying her here in Hong Kong. If you marry in the Philippines and then bring her over it may be a problem getting her a dependant visa. Immigration in Hong Kong tends to look on these types of marriages as marriages of convince and will require a load of documentary evidence.

    If you have a valid Hong Kong working visa you can bring her over on a 2 weeks tourist visa, apply immediately at the marriage registrar (which takes 2 weeks) and then extend her stay here on a fiancé visa. It is then very easy to get the dependant visa after you are married. Make sure she also brings along her birth certificate.

    There are so many problems marrying in the Philippines, especially so if you are divorced and this is your second marriage or your fiancé does not have a birth certificate. (many Filipinos have problems with this or have different names which can cause confusion).

    It is also very hard for a foreigner to marry in Manila because of all the documents needed and the investigations that they will need to carry out on you as a foreigner. It is much easier in the provinces but still the best thing would be to come over here. You can always have a church wedding in the Philippines for the family afterwards.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    7

    Thank you so much for the info. as for wedding here in Hong Kong that is really a significant problem on our part since the wedding was prepared for a year already. Nonetheless thank you for your info.

    As for my other question, my working visa expires on the 20th of April this year too and I'll be going back to manila on the 1st of March for the wedding. Should I re-apply for the visa before or after I get back here with my wife?


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    12,383

    Apply as far in advance as possible, as it takes about 4 weeks to process a renewal.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    7

    Thank you so much. It totally gave me a much more clearer perspective now. and great site too...