Hong Kong Court Rules in Favour of British Lesbian
Hong
Kong’s Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of a British lesbian who’d previously
been denied a dependent visa.
The
woman – identified as QT – had moved to the territory when her same-sex partner
secured a job there.
Same-sex marriage and civil partnerships aren't legal in Hong Kong.
QT’s
application for a dependent visa was rejected by Hong Kong’s Immigration
Department because it did not recognise the couple’s UK civil
partnership.
The Court of Appeal has now said this is discrimination of sexual orientation.
The
decision of the three judges presiding over the case was unanimous. Although,
they offered no challenge to the local definition of marriage as being
between a man and a woman.
Hong
Kong’s Immigration Department now has twenty-eight days to come up with an
acceptable offer to QT.