HK court issues 'mixed' ruling on residency of Pinoy couple

A Hong Kong judge has issued a "mixed" ruling for a former Filipino domestic helper, saying he has a legal right to apply for permanent residency there but his wife does not. The High Court said Daniel Domingo is entitled to apply to the Immigration Department for right of abode for complying with a legal requirement to live there for at least seven years, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) reported. However, the RTHK report said the judge denied Domingo's wife Irene a similar privilege, saying she did not fulfill the requirement because she was away from Hong Kong for 17 months during this period. The report noted that Mrs. Domingo had breached her conditions of stay at one point. United Filipinos in Hong Kong Secretary General Eman Villaneuva welcomed the latest judgement, saying it clarified the residency requirements for eligible right-of-abode applicants. The RTHK report said the Domingos have lived in Hong Kong since the 1980s and the couple's children were born there. In 2007, they were granted unconditional stay after agreeing to withdraw their appeal against a rejection of their application for permanent residency. They had filed a judicial review to fight for the right to apply for right of abode. It was the second judicial review over the divisive issue. Last September, the court issued a landmark ruling that the law banning foreign domestic helpers from seeking permanent residency was unconstitutional. However, the Hong Kong government is appealing the ruling, and is not processing any applications for right of abode from foreign domestic helpers until a higher court makes a definitive ruling. - VVP, GMA News