Pinay maid’s son gets HK residency status

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino maid has won permission from the top court of Hong Kong to grant her 17-year-old son permanent residency after multiple appeals, on the grounds that his case involved questions of great general and public importance, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday.

Josephine Gutierrez gave birth to her son Joseph Gutierrez in December 1996 and he has lived in the city ever since, apart from a few short breaks in the Philippines. Josephine had worked as a maid in Hong Kong since 1991.

In previous appeals, the court found that the mother and son failed to take the required steps to make Hong Kong their permanent home, although Joseph was born and raised in Hong Kong.