Chinese Wife British/Irish Husband

[Astarite]

Thank you both for your lightheartedness, but I must prevail, to find guidance from a couple who have BEEN THROUGH the same ordeal - faced with forced seperation, born from local racism ... Astarite

[Roger]

Hi,
I had the same problem as you and found a way through. I am a UK Citizen with a mainland wife. So here's what you do:
1. Have her get a PRC Passport and activate it by taking her on holiday to Thailand or Singapore.
2. On the return trip, travel via HK. She will be stamped in for 7 days.
3. The day after you both arrive in HK, go with her to the Immigration Department to apply for a Dependent Visa, taking all the necessary documentation with you. Immigration will refuse to issue a Dependent Visa, but will process a long term visitor visa (known as a CPV) valid for 6 months, with multiple entry facilities if you so request in writing. She will not be allowed to work or study in HK on this visa, but will be able to come and go as she pleases.
4. The CPV is renewable every 6 months
5. When you've been married for 4 years, the UK will give your wife Indefinite Leave to Remain if you apply for it. When you have this, fly to the UK and have her stamped in. When you return to HK, Immigration will process a Dependent Visa for her. The Irish government may be able to help you get her Permanent Residency in Ireland somewhat earlier. If so, the travel to Ireland instead of the UK.
It's a bit of a pain, but at least you can have your wife with you.
Also make sure any children are born in HK. They'll have HK Chinese citizenship on account of their Chinese mother as well as your citizenships.

[penguinsix]

Get her a job? Find some way to find her some job (maybe your company could sponsor her for a work visa)?

[KnowItAll]

>> work visa

Mainland employee sponsorships are fairly different, unless its an intra-company transfer of sorts.

[Astarite]

Hi Roger

I thank you for your workaround. DOes this really work - she already has the PRC passport. I asked about the CPV longstay at immigration, but they said this was not available.

On what circumstances must they give one?

Cheers
Astarite

[Roger]

They gave my wife one, therefore they should do the same with yours.

[maulee]

I agree. Get the UK citizenship first, maybe faster to get a permit to stay in HK.

[Astarite]

Hi Maulee

It will take a successful settlement visa application to the UK first then 3 years to get UK citizenship. Right now I am a HK resident (temporary ID card), so I cannot get my wife the UK settlement status until I leave HK and return to UK to settle. I have to stay here for my business, but as it turns out my wife can get a "visiting relatives" (me) 3 month travel permit from her home city in China, which will give us some breathing time to work on a longer term solution.

Again Thank You very much for your time to read and contribute to this issue. - Asatrite

[Andyb]

To Roger and Astarite and all,

I'm in a similar position to Astarite. UK passport holder, been in HK 4 and a half years. Met a lovely Chinese girl (from Hunan so no CEPA individual traveller deal) and married her in HK in July this year (2005). Not quite as dire as Astarite, I have House in HK and apartment in Luo Hu where my wife lives and i do the cross border shuffle a couple of times a week, have been doing this for over a year now.

I desperately want to get my wife to HK to live with me, even if she travels back to SZ for a part time job a couple of times a week.

She went to Hunan and asked for a pass but they told her it was only available if I was a PERMANENT HK resident... This is contrary to what we had been told on the phone a couple of weeks previous.

Ideally a OWP would be great and I think she could get one after a year or so being from Hunan (less people wanting to move to HK from Hunan than Guangdong).

At the moment we are obtaining Thai visas and return air tickets from HK so she can come through and spend time in HK (7 days each side of the Thai trip).

I'm very interested in obtaining the CPV although I'd like to know if it is a certainty that one would be issued with multiple entry facilities.

Is there a better chance of obtaining a CPV if you use Emigra or one of the agencies ? We've been let down by 'well meaning colleagues' many times in the past and I don't want to build up our hopes if the chance of obtaining a CPV is slim.

Any suggestions or experiences that might make it more concrete ?

Any advice much appreciated.

Andy + Ivy

[Andyb]

Hi Folks !

I'm currently planning on taking my wife to Bangkok, returning via Hong Kong. I would like to try for the CPV extension as per Roger's decription but am nervous in case immigration won't allow.

Has anyone else got any experiences they could share on this ?

Cheers,

Andy + Ivy