Can You Extend Your Hong Kong Dependant Visa After Divorce?

First Published February 17, 2016

This is a Hong Kong immigration situation that happens a lot more frequently that you might imagine!

Updated August 2023

Can You Extend Your Hong Kong Dependant Visa After Divorce?

QUESTION

I would like to know if there is any possibility to extend your Hong Kong dependent visa after divorce from a spouse who used to be my sponsor.

Presently I am a student in Seoul, Korea though I have been visiting Hong Kong at least once or twice a year since 2014.

My current dependent visa expires 2016/10/09.

I would like to maintain my residency in Hong Kong and I hope your expertise in immigration matters might be of great help to me.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

ANSWER

Unfortunately, in the wake of your divorce from your dependant visa sponsor, unless you have a continuing rationale for remaining in Hong Kong there’s not much you can do, especially if you actually live in another country at this time.

My best advice would be to return to Hong Kong, start working for a third party employer (you don’t need special permission to do this with your current dependant visa) and in 2013 when your dependant visa expires, ask your employer to sponsor your employment visa to continue your residence in Hong Kong.

This should not be too much of a problem to accomplish.

After that, so long as you remain in Hong Kong as an employment visa holder, you should be able to get to 7 years continuous ordinary residence and thereafter make an application for the Right of Abode.

There’s no silver bullet in your circumstances I’m afraid.

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