Work Visa: Approved!

When we arrived in Hong Kong in January, we entered the country on "visitor" status, which meant we could stay in Hong Kong for up to ninety days.  Each time we left the country, the ninety-day clock would start over, so we have never really been close to overstaying our visitor permits. In order for me to work here, my company had to file an application for a work visa for me and accompanying dependent visa for Jeff (which also gives him the right to work here through my work visa).  Fortunately, our law firm here handled most of the process for us; our roles were limited to filling out a few forms, providing photocopies of our passports and signing our names many, many times.

Arrival at the Macau-Taipa Ferry terminal

Last week, we got the good news that the visas had been approved. The Immigration Department supplied us with visa/entry permit labels and instructions to stick them onto a blank visa page in our passports.  The next step in the process is "activating" the visas. The visa application process presumes the applicant isn't yet in Hong Kong, so activating a visa must be done upon arrival at an immigration check point. Since we are already here, that meant taking a trip for the sole purpose of crossing the border so we could reenter Hong Kong.

The requirement to cross the the border seemed like a great excuse for another Portuguese lunch, since Macau, at less than 40 miles away, is the closest and cheapest way to cross the border.  So off we went on the ferry again to Macau. This time, we went to the island of Taipa.  Although dominated by casinos like the main peninsula, we liked Taipa even better as it seems to have retained more of its Portuguese charm in the older section (Vila de Taipa) of the island.  Despite the misty weather, we enjoyed a walking tour around the Vila de Taipa and seeing the old Portuguese-style architecture, a few temples and shrines and a wedding attended by costumed super-hero characters (don't ask, we have no idea why). 

Finally, we settled on what appeared to be a popular restaurant.  Lunch was a terrific balance of east-meets-west with an emphasis on seafood:  octopus salad, curry shrimp and fried rice with codfish.  We asked our waiter for directions to our next destination, and after studying the map we had picked up on arrival at the ferry terminal, he diplomatically informed us that our map was of the other Macanese island of Coloane and supplied us with the correct map.  Our next stop was a geographically-advantaged dessert stand at the corner of the two main pedestrian thoroughfares in the Vila de Taipa.  I had read about a dessert called "Serradura" and was determined to try some, and Gelatina Mok Yi Kei is the place to get it.  Serradura is Portuguese Sawdust Pudding ("serradura" is Portuguese for "sawdust"), which consists of a layer of very finely ground biscuit cookies (the sawdust) topping a serving of semifreddo vanilla pudding.  It was the perfect way to finish off our meal.

After lunch, we headed back to the ferry terminal for the ride back to Hong Kong.  Upon arrival, we presented the immigration officers with our newly-minted visa/entry permit labels.  After a brief pause, they pulled a special stamp from the drawer, stamped our passports and stapled new "landing cards" in them, giving us permission to remain in Hong Kong for a year, at which time, the visas will need to be renewed.  Although we are now cleared to work and remain in Hong Kong, the process isn't yet complete.  Under the Registration of Persons ordinance, every person over the age of 11 years who is permitted to stay in Hong Kong for more than 180 days is required to register for an identity card.  This will be the last step in the process, and we have an appointment with the Immigration Department on March 18 to obtain our Hong Kong Smart Identity Cards.