Hong Kong: Information on whether a Chinese citizen whose wife holds a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity would be allowed to return to Hong Kong
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HKG16912.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Hong Kong: Information on whether a Chinese citizen whose wife holds a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity would be allowed to return to Hong Kong, 1 April 1994, HKG16912.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad1458.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided by a consular officer at the British High Commission in Ottawa on 21 March and 21 April 1994.
A Chinese citizen who is married to a holder of a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity can return to Hong Kong provided that he has obtained a dependency visa prior to his return (21 Mar. 1994). To obtain a dependency visa, the applicant must apply at a British diplomatic mission by completing an application form and submitting the following documents: his Chinese passport, his marriage certificate, his spouse's Hong Kong Certificate of Identity and 2 passport-size photographs (ibid.).
The documents submitted by the applicant would then be forwarded to Hong Kong to be processed (21 Mar. 1994). The issuance of a dependency visa could take from 8 to 10 weeks and the fee to cover the processing cost is 138 canadian dollars (21 Apr. 1994).
Applications for a dependency visa are rejected if the applicant's spouse does not have the right of abode in Hong Kong (21 Apr. 1994).
The rights conferred in Hong Kong to holders of dependency visas are the same as those granted to Certificate of Identity holders (21 Apr. 1994). Holders of dependency visas are entitled to reside and work in Hong Kong as long as their visas are valid (ibid.). The period of validity of a dependency visa is three months from the date of issuance (ibid.).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
British High Commission, Ottawa. 21 April 1994. Telephone interview with consular officer.
British High Commission, Ottawa. 21 March 1994. Telephone interview with consular officer.
