Filipino maid takes fight for Hong Kong permanent residency to city's top court

HONG KONG – A Filipino maid has taken her fight for permanent residency to Hong Kong's top court.

Lawyers for Evangeline Banao Vallejos were presenting arguments to the Court of Final Appeal on Tuesday. Her legal team was granted permission last year to appeal a lower court's rejection of her bid.

Vallejos along with another Filipino national are seeking a landmark ruling that would let thousands of other foreign domestic helpers settle in the southern Chinese financial center.

The five-member panel of judges will have to decide on whether immigration law is inconsistent with Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

Foreign residents can apply to settle permanent in Hong Kong after seven years, but the city's nearly 300,000 foreign maids are excluded. A verdict is not expected for several weeks.