Depending visa - Sponsor income requirement

[LeyLon]

Hello,
My wife and I are moving to Hong Kong in a few months. She is a permanent resident and I hold a British passport. We are currently living and working in the UK however I wanted to apply for a dependent visa in advance of our move with my wife acting as sponsor. Does anyone know if possible to apply for this whilst both parties are located outside Hong Kong?

My two concerns were:

1) Regarding sponsors proof of sufficient income to support the dependent. Is it sufficient to show she has adequate savings in her UK account to support us above the minimum living requirement for the next 12 months given she is not currently employed in Hong Kong. We plan to take a career break for a few weeks prior to moving therefore both arriving in Hk with no jobs and will commence job search upon arrival.


2) Regarding suitable accommodation we do plan to rent a place before arriving, however this will not be arranged prior to the visa application. If she has family in Hong kong who will permit us stay with them until we sign a rental agreement, and provide a written statement to state this, is it sufficient to meet the suitable accommodation requirement?

Thank you!

[aw451]

Come to Hong Kong as a visitor first then she can sponsor you.
Last time I checked, you can stay here for a year as a visitor. If she doesn't have a job at present, around 200k in savings in her account should suffice for sponsorship.

There's no real benefit to rushing the dependent visa since any company who will hire a foreigner will probably sponsor you. Some companies, including ones I've worked at, treat a dependent visa as a negative during the interview process since we prefer people who came to HK on their own merit. This obviously depends on the industry, though.

[mrgoodkat]

Some companies, including ones I've worked at, treat a dependent visa as a negative during the interview process since we prefer people who came to HK on their own merit.

That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Did your company also refuse to hire locals because they didn't come here "on their own" merit?

[aw451]

That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard

Agree. I have never seen an HR dept with sensible policies

[LeyLon]

Thanks for the reply. Good to hear the savings alone would suffice. Logic in applying for it before we arrive is that it avoids waiting for an employment visa to come through once I find the right role and really just peace of mind that I do have an ability to earn if it proves to be more difficult than expected to find visa sponsored a role in my industry.

[LeyLon]

Thanks for the reply. Good to hear the savings alone would suffice. Logic in applying for it before we arrive is that it avoids waiting for an employment visa to come through once I find the right role and really just peace of mind that I do have an ability to earn if it proves to be more difficult than expected to find visa sponsored a role in my industry.

[ndt]

Personally i would not apply for dependent if my savings is in UK and place of residence is not yet decided, Would rather transfer that money to HK account and rent a place with tenancy agreement to prove proper footing in HK. Otherwise, dependent visa is a better choice than employment visa in terms of flexibility of switching between jobs..