Bumboclot,
Your wife will be eligible for a dependant's visa, but unfortunately the government changed its policy wef 1 July 2003, and dependants no longer have the automatic right to take up employment in Hong Kong (unless they already held dependant status before 1 July 2003).
According to the Immigration Deparment:
"The new policy is not a wholesale prohibition on dependants preventing them from taking up employment. They may still work provided that they apply to the Director of Immigration and meet the eligibility criteria under the General Employment Policy which applies to all overseas persons who seek to enter Hong Kong for employment."
The relevant eligibility criteria are:
- the applicant should have a good education background, normally a first degree in the relevant field, but in special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or relevant experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence would also be accepted;
- the applicant must have a confirmed offer of employment before making the application. The employment secured must be relevant to the applicant's academic qualification or working experience, and the job cannot be readily taken up by the local work force; and
- the remuneration package is broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for similar jobs in HK.
I take that to mean that someone holding a dependant's visa can seek employment after coming to Hong Kong, but must have an offer of employment before applying to the Director of Immigration for the right to work.
Girlfriends are obviously not eligible for a dependant's visa and would have to be sponsored separately by an employer and granted an employment visa before coming to Hong Kong.
Regarding the types of jobs available for a female with a degree in commerce, it would really depend on her work experience and any other special qualifications she holds. Most, if not all, lower level positions are filled by locals, so someone with a bare degree and no experience would find it pretty difficult to find employment. On the other hand, there are senior positions around for people with management experience or special qualifications that are not easily obtainable in the local employment market. If your wife/girlfriend doesn't have any contacts in Hong Kong, her best bet might be to explore the employment pages of your national newspaper - companies looking for foreign employees often advertise vacant positions.
Hope that helps.
