I'm applying for my husband's dependent visa, so I've been reading threads about that and saw bunch of people complaining how slow HKIMD works and rude etc.
Well, my experience with them is that they are actually very efficient and helpful. If you think HKIMD is slow, you are in for a treat in countries like UK, Canada or France. I had experience with visa (in different ways) in these 3 countries.
I know the dependent visa (family union) to Canada can take a year before they even ask you for an interview. The officers are extremely rude (Don't ask me how but I know many applicants cried during the interview because of the yelling). They also demand that you pass a medical check before the interview.
What I want to say is the normal time frame of 4-6 weeks here is really not that bad. I know applicants from certain countries can wait up to a year or 1.5 years, but then, these applicants if apply to move to UK for example, will definitely wait even longer.
And here at least you can call them and check the status online. I once tried to call to inquire some immigration stuff in France, first, you have to pay to call their immigration hotline. After pressing a bunch a numbers, the machine told me I cannot ask any question via phone and must go line up. Go figure.
Not trying to offend anyone here. Just want to vent and share my experience after reading 60+ pages of old posts regarding dependent visa.