Chinese Citizenship Query

[lungyan]

I have a query if anyone could kindly help. I need to get Chinese citizenship and right of abode in Hong Kong. I have only a UK passport at present. What's the best way to go about it? Currently in England at the moment.

Thanks.

[geraldc]

Need more information, how old are you? Do your parents have right of abode in HK? Do they still have HK ID etc, where were you born etc. Too many variables.

Just look here http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/topical_3_4.htm

[lungyan]

I'm 24. No they have uk passports. I have a uk passport too with uk birth on there. Thx.

[mlomker]

I think you'll need to marry into the country, then. ;)

[lungyan]

Thanks but that ain't the answer I was hoping for surely there's a way?

[novemberfog]

I don't think there is another way. If you marry with a Hong Kong native, you can get the "right of abode", but I think there is no way you can gain citizenship. And if you split with the guy/girl, I am sure you residence visa would soon be terminated. Seriously though, I am not sure why you need citizenship, since it is possible to get working visas and what not. Perhaps you are trying to buy land?

[geraldc]

Why do you need citizenship? If you have the right skills, you can get work and live in HK or China, but citizenship is another question altogether.

[md1101]

china doesnt allow dual citizenship... so you really shouldn't think of revoking your uk passport for chinese citizenship. that would not be a very wise idea. you'd be giving up so many freedoms of speech and basic rights that you probably take for granted now. you'll make it much harder to travel the world as acquiring visa's will be much harder. you should be able to do just as much if not MUCH more as a uk citizen working in china as opposed to a chinese citizen in china...

the chinese spend years overseas and thousands of dollars to try and change their citizenship.

I DO suppose,however, that you could be a chinese citizen and a british permanent resident which would allow you to return to england frequently but itd be hard going to other countries...

it still something i wouldn't recommend unless you are sure you absolutely need chinese citizenship.

why do you need it if i may ask?

[gougou]

You'd be giving up so many freedoms of speech and basic rights that you probably take for granted now.

I wasn't aware that these come with your passport.

@OP: If all you needed was permanent residency, check out this page

[md1101]

well.... lets just say, gougou, that youd be less free to do what you want both politically and personally as a chinese citizen.

[gougou]

well.... lets just say, gougou, that youd be less free to do what you want both politically and personally as a chinese citizen.

I'm not sure about this. Judging by freedom of speech, it seems to me that a Chinese in the UK has more rights than a Briton in China (Have both of them distribute FLG flyers to find out )

[imron]

This is making an invalid comparison. To make a fair comparison, you'd have to put the scenario something like:

Chinese person handing FLG fliers out in China.

vs

Briton handing FLG fliers out in China.

and then

Chinese person handing FLG fliers out in Britain

vs

Briton handing FLG fliers out in Britain.

Both groups fare just as well when handing out fliers in Britain, but I think the Briton is probably going to end up the better of the two in the first scenario.

[md1101]

yeah im trying to say what imron just did

gougou, you're not wrong. we're both looking at this in different ways. i just see it this way:

- A Briton handing out flg flyers in china would be deported... a chinese doing the same in china could be locked up and never heard from again.

- A Chinese citizen has trouble attaining visa's to various countries around the world. I know its been very hard to try and get my gf over here! (australia)

-Yes, a chinese citizen would be free to hand out flg flyers in briton but anyone is. the task of the chinese citizen is to get to britain which isnt so easy. so IF lungyan manages to get a british pemanent resident visa then i guess it should be easy to get to england. but he wouldnt want to do anything bad in britain that china might hear about or he can expect to not to be allowed to leave china again when he goes back there.

all in all he will lose some freedoms.

[lungyan]

Thanks everyone I shall reply to each of you here.

novemberfog: well i need to be a permanent resident i don't intend to live anywhere else. there's things i need to do that definitely will require citizenship.

geraldc: i understand that but i need permanent citizenship.

mickdriscoll: i know, i wouldn't hesitate to revoke uk citizenship. i don't think the restrictions will affect me too much. the second part sounds interesting but i don't ever need to return to the uk and wouldn't care to. yeah i really do need it i've got things to do in life that will require it.

gougou: thanks i will check that link out.

Thank you all for the help so far.

[geraldc]

Now you've peaked my interest. What on earth do you want to do that would require citizenship? You're not another person who wants to join the PLA are you?

[self-taught-mba]

Now you've peaked my interest. What on earth do you want to do that would require citizenship? You're not another person who wants to join the PLA are you?

Oh NO!!!! Not that thing again! I was worried it was gonna go there.

[mr.stinky]

gougou.....how am i gonna get permanant residency also? i may get married and stay

five years, but i have no job. i'm retired on my savings/investments, so no stable income.

i'm not 60 yet, and not a dependant. at least i have no record of being convicted of

breaking the law. so do i have to join the pla to become a citizen?

[lungyan]

Haha no not at all nothing like that. It is for legitimate reasons. Heh. Yeah it seems so difficult to obtain such a simple thing that will be of no harm to anyone but great benefit to me. It can't be so impossible can it?

[liuzhou]

i may get married and stay five years, but i have no job. i'm retired on my savings/investments, so no stable income.

Can you tell me what sort of reply would be given to a Chinese person desiring permanent residence in your country who applied on that basis?

[flameproof]

>I need to get Chinese citizenship and right of abode in Hong Kong.

The 2 are not related.

>Chinese citizenship

That's from China and probably impossible to obtain. There are only very few cases were it was given out to foreigners.

>right of abode in Hong Kong.

Right of abode you reach after residing 7 years in HK. With RoA you can apply for "Permanent Residency". Then you could apply for a "HK SAR" passport. To actually get the passport you would have to give up your UK nationality.

The HK Passport brings you few (if any) advantages. The only thing I can think of is that you can get a 10 year China visa (or "home" permit - wue heung jin). As a Permanent Resident with a foreign passport you can apply only for up to 3 years.

That is really the very only advantage I can think of. And remember that you would need to apply a visa for almost every country you plan to travel to in advance.