Two Filipino mothers pin last hopes on final appeal to stay in Hong Kong as separation from families loom
- Both have been battling for their residency rights since 2011 and 2014, and their ruling will affect outcome of other similar cases
- Lawyer says immigration decisions should not be given a blanket exemption from fundamental human rights norms
Two mothers who face separation from their families after being refused the right to remain in Hong Kong have expressed fear and anxiety as they pin their last hopes on the city’s highest court overturning the Immigration Department’s decisions.
The cases of Filipino women Milagros Tecson Comilang and Desiree Rante Luis will be heard before the Appeal Committee on Wednesday, which will decide whether their applications will be formally heard before the full bench of the Court of Final Appeal.
Comilang and Luis have been battling for the right to remain in Hong Kong since 2011 and 2014, respectively.
The judgment will also have an impact on at least a dozen ethnic Chinese Hong Kong women whose spouses have been refused residency in the city and are seeking court reviews.
Mark Daly, a human rights lawyer who is representing these families, said: “Immigration decisions should not be given a blanket exemption from fundamental human rights norms, particularly children’s and family rights.”
Comilang, a former domestic worker, was left to raise her daughter – who was born in the city – after she and her husband “Ahmed”, a permanent resident, divorced and he withdrew his support for her dependency status.
Luis came to Hong Kong as a domestic helper in 1991. She married her husband, also from the Philippines and a domestic helper in the city, in 1997.
