Hong Kong court green-lights spousal visas for same-sex couples

• Hong Kong’s highest court ruled in favor of a two British-national partners, which is expected to open residential visas to spouses regardless of gender in the partnership.
• Without spousal visas, the same-sex partners of Hong Kong residents could only reside in the city on short-term tourist visas that prohibited work or access to public services.
• While a recent poll showed more than 50% of Hongkongers support same-sex marriage, native Hong Kong residents still do not have access to same-sex marriage rights, though advocates and some legal experts have suggested the ruling could serve to expand their access to housing and family rights.

Read

• “Hong Kong Court Allows Spousal Visas for Same-Sex Couples” (The New York Times | July 2018)
• “Top Hong Kong court grants UK lesbian right to spousal visa” (Reuters | July 2018)
• “Support for same-sex marriage in Hong Kong grows as new study shows attitudes to LGBT community are changing in city” (South China Morning Post | July 2018)