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Hong Kong Family Visa Scheme

Applicants who has Permanent Residence in Hong Kong can sponsor their family members to immigrate to Hong Kong. The family member sponsored by the Permanent Resident, who hold a valid Hong Kong visa for employment, investment, training or study in Hong Kong or who are permanent residents in Hong Kong must be either "their spouse, or an unmarried dependent child under the age of 18, or a parent aged 60 years or above".
A separate application needs be filed for each family member and must be sponsored by the principal visa holder. The dependant's length of stay in Hong Kong is tied to the sponsor's length of stay. In other words, the Dependant Visa holder can live, work and study in Hong Kong for the period during which the principal visa holder is permitted to stay in Hong Kong.
Depending on the residency status of the sponsor, there are certain categories under which the applicant's dependants may apply to join him/her for residence in Hong Kong.
Category A - If the sponsor is a Hong Kong permanent resident or a resident who is not subject to a limit of stay (i.e. a resident with the right to land or on unconditional stay), the applicant's Spouse, Unmarried children below 18 years of age (including legally adopted) or Parents aged 60 years and above can apply under this category.
Category B - If the sponsor has been issued a visa for: employment as a professional, for investment to join in/establish a business, for training, for studies in a full-time undergraduate or post-graduate programme in a local degree-awarding institution, or who is permitted to remain in Hong Kong as an entrant under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme or the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, his spouse and Unmarried children below 18 years of age (including legally adopted) can apply under this category.
A Dependant Visa application should have the following requirements:

• Reasonable proof of a genuine relationship between the applicant (i.e dependant) and the sponsor.
• There should be no known record that is detrimental to the applicant
• The sponsor should be able to demonstrate that he can substantially support the dependants and provide suitable accommodation during their stay in Hong Kong. This entry arrangement does not apply to the following categories of persons:

o Chinese residents of the Mainland (except for those who fall under Category B mentioned above).
o Former Mainland Chinese residents residing in Macau who have acquired residence in Macau through channels other than the One-way Permit Scheme.
o Nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Cuba and Korea.

When the applicant and sponsor are found eligible, the application must be prepared with all necessary documentation. Once the application forms and supporting documents are ready they must be submitted to the Hong Kong Immigration Department. If the applicant is residing overseas, the application can be submitted in person to the Chinese Embassy or Consulate in the applicant's country:

• If the applicant holds a foreign passport and live in Mainland China then the applicant can submit the documents to the Hong Kong Immigration Division located in Beijing
• In the case of in-built applications, applicant's sponsor in Hong Kong can submit the application along with the principal visa application form - employment, investment, training or study (as the case may be).
• Once all the documents have been submitted, the processing of the Dependant Visa Application will on an average take around six weeks.
• If the application has been successful, the Immigration Department will issue a Visa/Entry Permit label. The sponsor can collect it in person on behalf of the applicant and then proceed to post it to the applicant.
• If the applicant has submitted the application to the Chinese diplomatic and consular mission or the Immigration Division of the Beijing Office, the Visa/Entry Permit will be issued through the relevant Chinese diplomatic and consular mission or the Immigration Division of the Beijing Office, as the case may be.
• Upon receipt of the Visa/Entry Permit label, the applicant must affix the same on a blank visa page of the passport. This must be presented to the Immigration Officer upon the applicant's arrival to Hong Kong. (for non-Mainland residents)
• If the applicant is a Mainland resident he/she should, upon receipt of the Visa/Entry Permit label, proceed to obtain an Exit-entry Permit for traveling to and from Hong Kong and Macau (EEP) and a relevant exit endorsement from the Public Security Bureau office where the household registration is kept.

The Entry Permit label should be affixed onto a blank endorsement page of the applicant's EEP on which the applicant's relevant exit endorsement has been obtained. The EEP must be presented to the Immigration Officer upon your arrival to Hong Kong.

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