partner included in contract?

[PDLM]

We have read about them on the websites of some relocation agents, but we have never had anyone on this board who actually successfully got one!

According to the relocation agents you need to be a heterosexual couple who have been (and can provide strong evidence of) cohabiting for some time, and who are prepared to sign a written undertaking that you have plans in place to get married. And even then you your partner won't be able to do anything (work (even voluntary work), study, etc) while in HK and they will need more paperwork to exit and re-enter.

However, "Prolonged Visitor Visas" are not mentioned on the (otherwise comprehensive) Immigration Department website (http://www.immd.gov.hk). And, as I said, no-one here has ever reported actually getting one (and this question does come up very regularly).

[Alby]

I never meet or seen anyone post anything on Geoexpat who has actually received one or known someone who has recieved one.

Actually, I knew a couple who had kids together, owned a house together and basically had been together and was able to hand over information and demonstrate all of this to immigration - she eventually entered HK on a visitors visa having to come and go every few months as she was never able to obtain an extended visitor visa or a dependent visa. Eventually the couple got married here in HK in a civil ceremony because of the inconvience and stress Immigration/Visa situation for her was causing to their relationship. He was able to bring the kids on a dependent visa but as for her there was an immigration/visa challenege.

So chessecake please keep us posted on whether this "Prolonged Visitor Visas" is awarded to your partner.

Best of luck to you and your partner and look forward to seeing you at a Geoexpat gathering when you arrive!

[bjeb]

Looks like I'll be the first one on this forum to mention that I have a Prolonged Visitor Visa! My partner has a 12 month work visa and I was able to get a six month prolonged visitor visa. PDLM is correct though about not being able to do anything, I can't work or study (only shop I guess!), but the agent did say that I can 'change' the visa to a work visa if I can get a company to sponsor me.

As for paperwork to exit and re-enter, the relocation agent gave me a new visa label when I arrived in HK last month (the original label was for single entry only, don't know why) which was a multiple entry one so I can leave and enter HK anytime.

As for cheesecake's original question, yes, I think you can request to get airfare, mine was paid for by my partner's company, although it was just a one-way ticket though. He was also able to negotiate for me to be provided with health insurance. No luck with a bigger housing allowance though... perhaps that would have been one advantage if we were married!

[PDLM]

This is good news. If you don't mind sharing could you tell us a bit more about your personal situation and what you had to do to get it?

Hetero/homo? cohabiting previously? kids? marriage plans? had to sign an undertaking about getting married? which passport you hold? documents you had to submit? etc.

Thanks

[bjeb]

We're a hetero couple, have been together for two years and cohabited for a year in Australia, and we had to send documents, bills and pictures to prove this. No kids, and we did have to sign an undertaking about getting married, so I guess we do have to get married soon although I suppose it would be easy to renew my visa for another six months before immigration would start asking about marriage.

My partner's Australian but I hold a Philippine passport (which is usually not the easiest passport to have when it comes to visas), it was a relatively painless process aside from putting all the documents together, perhaps the experience of the relocation agent counts? My partner's accounting firm is Ernst and Young and we used their relocation services for the visas.

I'm pretty sure though that there are other people out there who have this visa... maybe they're just too shy/busy to mention it in the forum?