Chinese Wife British/Irish Husband

[Astarite]

I am hoping someone else has been in our situation

I am a British/Irish Citizen, holding both Passports as well as a HK Resident's Card. I live here just to run my business, but last October I fell in love with a Chinese woman and we got married here in HK in April.

She has been here on a Business Visa, but when returning to HK from our last trip to China, the HK Immigration Officers told her she will not be allowed to enter HK again on this visa. She must return to China within 14 days. They said she is not breaking any laws, but have noted their decision on their border computers.

We are very devastated over this, as we don't know the rules on how to live here together. It is all because she is Chinese. We find it very strange that we cannot live together in HK especially as I am British/Irish, and we got married in HK. Do we not have any rights in this country??

I went to the Immigration Offices to enquire about this (before we were married), we were told they "Do Not Offer Consultation on How to Live in HK". There is no redress to a person behind a galss panel in Immigration Tower.

She has to return to China in 12 more days and we don't know if we can live together in this country.

Any advice out there?
From Astarite

[KnowItAll]

I'm assuming that you've gone over the basic guidelines over here?

http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_9.htm

[petrm]

This is normal. However, there should be a way for her to come for 3 months at a time, after which she has to return home (to China) and reapply for visa. Also, she has to put hereself on the immigration waiting list (one-way visa), which will take 7 years of waiting. After that she will be allowed to saty in HK.

More accurate details at the immigration website.

[Astarite]

Hi Guys

Thank you both for your suggestions. We have read the HKSAR immigration inofrmation suggested and also some friends told us about the 3 months spouse visa for Chinese citizens. However our marriage vows were for life, rather than 3 months at a time

Do you know if there are specific considerations, since I am not a HK Citizen, rather British/Irish, holding a temporary HK residents card.

I could not find any other threads to our situation here - Brit with Chinese wife trying to live in HK. There appears to be more restrictions because my wife is Chinese and it is made far more difficult for her to get a visa to live with her husband in HK.

Again thanks for your help, and if there are any other people who were faced with our specific situation and found a solution, we would be grateful to hear from you. She has to go in 12 days.

We are trying to stay calm about this, which is difficult as in UK or Ireland, my wife would be allowed to live with me.

Best - Astarite

[accor83]

Hi

Certainly she can live with you in UK as ur a UK citizen
But it is HK where ur only a temporary resident. I think if she wants to live in hk she should get the UK citizenship first, as dependent visa is not applied to Chinese PRC residents. (According to IMMD website).

Or you can consider doing business in china..

Good luck!

p.s: we should always stay calm about the stupid laws in HK.

[KnowItAll]

Approach the UK Embassy in HK and ask them the procedures to convert your wife to a British passport. Not sure what the logistics are .. as far as I know it might be just as bad. Once she is a UK passport holder, other options might open.

[accor83]

I'm afraid they should be living together as least for 3 years, no?

[Astarite]

Hi Guys,

Thanks again for 2 more suggestions, and again we appreciate you time taken to contribute to our issue.

My wife can have a visa issued from the UK government, to live with me in the UK, if I live in the UK, but the catch 22 here is I am living in HK - only for business.

THe UK passport idea is the same as here, where she would need to live with me in the UK for several years, but again we are trying to live here in HK

We might have to leave HK and go elsewhere, as it is clear that HK Immigration do not support these types of marriage, by making it so difficult for Chinese citizens to live in HK with their husband, even if their husband is only here on a temporarily residency card to run his business.

There is an interesting paradox here - the Hong Kong Registrar of Marriages informed us of how marriage is for life - but how can this be if we cannot live together?

I never realised that our human rights would be denied in Hong Kong, just because my wife is Chinese. It is easy to see, that if she were from another nation, she would be welcomed to live here as my wife.

I also never realised that politics had a right to keep ius apart. I know my wife has to leave here in 12 days, and frankly I am considering leaving too never to return. This way I can live with my wife, have a family just by moving my business to another country.

Thanks again for the support - Astarite

[petrm]

I have friends living here in HK:

He is UK citizen, his wife is Chinese citizen. For 7 years she was getting 3 month spousal visa, until this year she finally got HK ID card.

What I have gathered, the UK citizenship laws do not allow your wife to get her UK citizenship, unless she lives with you in UK for quite long time.

There are many Westerners in HK with Chinese wifes and they have no choice but live on the 3 month visas for 7 years.

I just learned an interesting fact:
There are immigration lawyers in HK, who for about 40,000 USD will help your wife acquire citizenship of Dominican Republic. As I was told, that would allow your wife stay with you as 100% human.

[KnowItAll]

Now, now ..... lets not get all worked up about this. Hyperventilating on a forum never solved anyones problems. You're trying to simply pulling on a few emotional strings to try and make a bad situation favorable for yourself.

Human rights? Puhlease! Both of you were consenting adults who made a decision knowing the facts. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Keep in mind, you're a temporary resident here. If your home country's restrictions are as bad and they don't accept that your wife married you out of love and not the color of the passport.... how can you expect your host country to bend over backwards?

The easiest option for you at this point would be to move... but check and see if your wife is allowed to move with you. From your post, looks like your mind is set....

>> even if their husband is only here on a temporarily residency card to run his business.

Specially if he is .. and his home country will not give his wife citizenship.