A lesbian married couple, QT and SS, have been locked in a battle with the Immigration Department over QT’s applications for a dependent visa based on their British marriage certificate. The Court of First Instance ruled against them on March 11.

This means that QT is unable to work, get an identity card or bank account and is forced to leave the country every six months.

“At the moment, I feel guilty,” she told the Post, citing how the situation has taken a toll on their relationship in a number of ways. “I can’t work ... I can’t earn money. I can’t be independent. It’s a complete burden on my partner,” she said.

“I am completely reliant on her so I have lost the basic human right to be independent,” she said. “And if I am a burden on her ... I am going to be upset. We are supposed to be supporting each other. It’s not supposed to be like a one-way street.”

In the interview QT admitted that the pair may be forced to move elsewhere in Asia. She noted that this government policy had the potential to allow Hong Kong to lose its international edge as homosexual employees of multinational companies will be discouraged from moving to the city.

QT and her solicitor Michael Vidler plan to take the case to a higher court in the city. “I just want to have the basic human right to be with the one I love. I just want to be treated as a human being really,” QT said.