Filipino maid wins Hong Kong landmark case

HONG KONG—A Filipino maid won the opening legal battle in her fight for permanent residency after a court ruled on Friday that an immigration provision excluding hundreds of thousands of foreign maids was unconstitutional.

The decision to grant Evangeline Banao Vallejos the right to apply for residency under the Basic Law—Hong Kong’s constitution—was a major legal victory in a case that has divided the city with accusations of ethnic discrimination against the foreign maids.

Vallejos, who was not in court because she was busy working, “said thank God” after learning the outcome, said one of the lawyers handling her case.

Residents say the verdict would open the floodgate to about 292,000 foreign maids, most of whom are from the Philippines or Indonesia, to also claim the right of abode.

The decision could also draw in Beijing, which might seek to reinterpret the laws under which the territory is governed, analysts said.

Justice Johnson Lam, ruling in the Court of First Instance, said the immigration provision denying the maids the right to gain permanent residency after seven years—as other foreign residents can—was inconsistent with the Basic Law.
Full Story: Inquirer Global Nation

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