The Hong Kong Dependant Visa refers to the visa obtained by non-Hong Kong residents as spouses or other relatives of Hong Kong residents, with a Hong Kong resident as the guarantor, to settle in Hong Kong.

Due toChildren who migrate to Hong Kong as dependants enjoy the same admission policies for schooling in Hong Kong as local students. Therefore, many new immigrants to Hong Kong or those working or studying in Hong Kong use the dependant visa route to allow their children to study in Hong Kong or to let their spouses settle in Hong Kong., which is commonly referred to as: one person applies, the whole family migrates to Hong Kong.

Regarding the dependant visa, many new immigrants or those working or studying in Hong Kong have various questions, such as:

I am currently single, and if I get married and have children in the future, can I add dependants?

When is the best time to apply for the dependant visa?

How long does it take for dependants to obtain permanent residency in Hong Kong?

Don't worry, today we will go through the relevant knowledge about the dependant visa.

Who can apply for the dependant visa?

According to the Hong Kong Immigration Department's explanation about dependants: If the guarantor holds a student visa,IANG visa, Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, or is a Hong Kong permanent resident, then the following two categories of people can apply for the dependant visa:

1. The spouse of the guarantor;

2. Unmarried children under 18 years old.

Note:If the guarantor is a Hong Kong permanent resident, in addition to the above two categories, parents of the guarantor who are over 60 years old can also apply for the dependant visa, but usually, the requirement is that they are the parents of an only child.When should the dependant visa be applied for?If you are applying for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and are married with children, it is recommended to apply for the dependant visa together with the Quality Migrant application.

This way, your Quality Migrant application can gain additional points; if your spouse has a bachelor's degree, it can add

5 points, and for children, each child can add 5 points, with a maximum of 10 points.If applying for the Talent Scheme, you can apply together or separately. Generally, it is recommended to apply separately.This is because the Talent Scheme is a work visa, aimed at allowing you to work, not to immigrate with family. If you apply together, it may lead to a misunderstanding by the Immigration Department.If you are a graduate

and are immigrating through further studies, you need to obtain a student visa and have a Hong Kong resident ID before you can apply for the dependant visa.Currently single, if I get married and have children in the future,can I add dependants?Of course.

The Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme/Talent Scheme/Further Studies Immigration allows for dependants to apply for Hong Kong status as long as relevant supporting documents are submitted to the Immigration Department.If you are applying for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and are married with children, it is recommended to apply for the dependant visa together with the Quality Migrant application.

How long does it take for dependants to obtain permanent residency?

Like the main applicants of the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme

/Talent Scheme/Further Studies Immigration,those holding a dependant visa also need to meet the requirement of continuous residence in Hong Kong for 7 years before they can apply for permanent residency.If the guarantor has already met the

7-year continuous residence requirement and can obtain permanent residency in Hong Kong, while the dependant is newly added and has not yet met the 7-year continuous residence requirement, then the dependant will still need to meet the 7-year continuous residence requirement before applying for permanent residency.

It is important to remind everyone that:The duration of stay for the dependant visa is generally linked to the duration of stay of the guarantor.In other words,the dependant can stay in Hong Kong for as long as the guarantor stays in Hong Kong. If the guarantor's visa expires and they need to leave Hong Kong, the dependant must also leave at the same time.If you are applying for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and are married with children, it is recommended to apply for the dependant visa together with the Quality Migrant application.

Note:Dependants of those coming to Hong Kong for studies (i.e., Hong Kong further studies immigrants) are generally allowed to stay in Hong Kong for12 months initially, and can then apply for an extension of stay annually until they can become permanent residents after 7 years.If you are applying for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and are married with children, it is recommended to apply for the dependant visa together with the Quality Migrant application.

Therefore, if you want your dependants to smoothly stay in Hong Kong and obtain permanent residency, you must ensure that the main applicant's visa is valid.~。也就是说，保证人在香港逗留多久，受养人就能在香港逗留多久，如果保证人签证到期要离港了，受养人也必须同时离港。来港就读人士（即香港进修移民）的受养人一般会先获准来港逗留12个月，其后可逐年申请延长逗留期限直至7年后转为香港永久居民。

因此，如果想让受养人也能顺利留港拿到香港永居身份，千万要保证主申请人的签证是有效的哦~