On 28 March, Hong Kong’s court of appeal overturned a previous landmark ruling that had opened the door for thousands of foreign maids to claim residence in Hong Kong.
The lawyers of Evangeline Vallejos, who had brought the case to court, said they would take the case — the first of its kind in Asia — all the way to the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong’s highest court.
“The interpretation of the law creates a second-class citizen,” counsel Mark Daly told AFP. ”We will continue on to the Court of Final Appeal until we get justice.”
Rights advocates said the ruling sent the wrong message to other Asian nations that relied on poorly paid maids from less wealthy countries to toil at jobs locals no longer wanted to do. Hong Kong has around 300,000 foreign domestic helpers mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
In Oct 2011, Hong Kong’s High Court has ruled that a domestic worker from the Philippines should be allowed to apply for permanent residency in the city.
The case was brought by Evangeline Banao Vallejos, who has worked for the same Hong Kong employer for more than 25 years. Until now, foreigners could apply for permanent residence after living legally in Hong Kong for 7 years; however, this did not apply to domestic workers.
The ruling could lead to many migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong (estimates speak of 300.000 people, of whom around 1.000 have been living in HK for more than 7 years) winning rights to residency.
You can listen to a short radio feature by Banyar Kong Janoi (Asia Calling) on why the case is so import to the lives of thousands of people here (radio1812 website).
