Over the past two decades Hong Kong has grown rich as one of Asia’s “tigers”, while the Philppines has stayed less fortunate. Hong Kong is the closest rich economy to the philippines.
Nick Cousins, managing director of insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson’s Hong Kong office, and his Flipino partner Herminia Garcia but known to her closest friends as Grace Cousins, were being arrested after their teenage daughter fell from their multi-million Hong Kong dollars flat.
Their Filipino mother had overstayed in Hong Kong for 20 years, and was hesitant to apply for birth certificates for her daughters for fear of exposing herself; they did no want Grace to be exposed as illegally staying in Hong Kong.
The teenage girl had been unhappy, apparently because she and her younger sister had never attended school since they did not have any status in Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong regulations, parents of children born in the territory must present themselves to the Births Registry and prove their identity.
But growing up with no formal identity and no schoolmates to speak of could not have been easy for a 15-year-old, even with supportive parents.
So, the girl went inside the master bedroom, locked herself in the toilet, and then jumped from the window.
With Nick Cousins permanent resident in Hong Kong, the two girls would have been entitled to right of abode, regardless of their mother’s visa status.
There are about 118,600 Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong who earn at least HK$3,950 a month. So, for the Philippine Consulate’s assistance, getting help is a second option. The first one is for Filipino nationals not to run afoul with the law, like overstaying their visas.
In that situation, the Consulate would have told her to get her daughters’ birth certificates even if it meant surrendering herself to authorities. If they had birth certificates, the girls could have also been issued Philippine passports if the mother applied for them.
Their father could affirm paternity if he went personally to the Consulate to make this declaration.
Advice:
We suggest many solutions for people who want to keep their family together, the first thing you need to do is apply for the right visa, don’t hesitate to contact Centre O Business Centre for further questions!