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Timing My Move (With Pets)

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  1. #1

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    Apr 2010
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    Timing My Move (With Pets)

    My company submitted my employment visa application to Immigration a little over a week ago, and today we just got back our reference number to check status online. I'm aware of the normal timelines to process visas, but at the same time my company is keen for me to get over and set-up and have indicated they could continue paying my salary in the US while we're waiting for the employment visa to finish processing. So the idea is that we'd probably come over 2nd week of April as long as their had been no problems highlighted with our application. Once finished and approved we'd hop a ferry to Macau and come back. If I was by myself I wouldn't hesitate to do this, as it was pretty much exactly the way I did this when I first arrived in HK for work 7 years ago. However, I'm wondering if showing up with my wife, 2 kids, and a cat on a one-way flight when the working visa hasn't finished processing would raise suspicions/cause problems, or if it is ok to just say we have a working visa being processed and are coming over to find a flat and get set up while we're waiting for that to finish processing. Does anyone have any experience doing the same/similar?


  2. #2

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    Do you have your import certificate for the cat and all your pet's documents looked over /approved by the AFCD?


  3. #3

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    Import certificate application was/is being submitted by my employer today/Monday, with a 3-4 day processing time, and we need to do the health certificate here in the US which should be done late next week, though could change if we need to push back our move a week or so. Cat originally came from HK, has been chipped and is up to date with all the relevant vaccinations from the AFCD website, so I think that should go fairly smoothly, as long as immigration doesn't have a problem with us bringing it when we're technically still on visitor visas.


  4. #4

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    I don't think you should come on a one way ticket with your family and pets until your visa has been approved. Perhaps you should come first on a business trip with a return ticket. Business trips whilst employed overseas are allowed, moving to HK to work without a visa is absolutely not. Your company is not being terribly responsible in suggesting you come before visa is approved.

    HK_Katherine likes this.

  5. #5

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    Will the airline allow you to board without a return ticket and with no visa?


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    Will the airline allow you to board without a return ticket and with no visa?
    Americans can travel visa-free for up to 90 days.

    Quote Originally Posted by Beanieskis:
    I don't think you should come on a one way ticket with your family and pets until your visa has been approved. Perhaps you should come first on a business trip with a return ticket. Business trips whilst employed overseas are allowed, moving to HK to work without a visa is absolutely not. Your company is not being terribly responsible in suggesting you come before visa is approved.
    I suppose the difference here is that I would still technically be an employee of the American branch during that period.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by NateM:
    Americans can travel visa-free for up to 90 days.
    Yes but for 90 days and as a tourist, my experience is that airlines often require a return ticket if there is no proof of residency.
    kimwy66 likes this.

  8. #8

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    Mar 2018
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    I do not know if this can help you but I found some indications so that the importation of your animals happens in good conditionsAnimals are subjected to a quarantine period at a designated government facility for a period of at least 30 days depending on country of origin. All pets must be done at all times. Pets are not allowed to be imported or transshipped.Required Documents: Certificate of Vaccination - (copy)approved agency. Rabies shot must be done at least 30 days prior to departure Import Permit - Issued by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department for 30 days from issue. Microchip - dogs and cats must be implanted with a microchipthe Health Certificate Residence Certificate and International Health Certificate - Prepared and endorsed byUSDA / APHIS / VS. Must be done more than 14 days before departure


  9. #9

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    Just an update: I ended up going through with this, as I needed to fly within a certain period due to the validity of the rabies vaccine, which would have expired today. We booked one-way tickets through Cathay and arranged all the import permits and health certificates required to avoid quarantine. I was prepared to book an additional one way ticket out Hong Kong to show a completed round trip journey, but as luck would have it, my employment visa was approved the day before I was scheduled to fly out this past Monday and I decided against it. Neither Cathay nor customs cared that we were on a one way flight on a visitor visa, and didn't ask to see the employment letter approval. Retrieving my cat from customs was a bit more involved, but mostly because of the difficulty of coordinating a van to get all of our stuff with the need to travel to a completely different part of the airport at the AFCD office. Picked up our employment and dependent visas yesterday and re-entered from Macau the same day. So all in all it went smoothly, probably more so than I should have expected. That said, I definitely think this is more a case of taking a much more liberal attitude with passport holders from US/EU countries, so YMMV.

    vmlinuz likes this.

  10. #10

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    Mar 2018
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    I also want to bring my dog with me. I already have all health certificate for him in Germany, would it be possible to not doing all the check up again when in HK?


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