People's Republic of China Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao
A People's Republic of China Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (Chinese: 中华人民共和国前往港澳通行证) or One-way Permit (Chinese: 单程证) is a document issued by the People's Republic of China allowing residents of mainland China to leave the mainland permanently to settle in Hong Kong or Macau.[1]
The travel restriction was needed to prevent large volumes of people coming to Hong Kong or Macau and preventing illegal immigration.[2]
Contents
Controversy
Although the permit is specifically for the purpose of family reunion, not for general immigration,[3] the scheme is controversial. Hong Kong currently has a quota of 150 people per day and the waiting time for spouses is currently 4 years.[4] Journalist Ching Cheong alleges that the scheme, whose beneficiaries are at the sole discretion of the PRC government and outside of the vetting procedures of the Hong Kong Immigration Department, is an infiltration mechanism by spies and friends of the regime into Hong Kong; those that are not filled by spies become a graft mechanism for officials.[5][6] Martin Lee said that the policy is part of the CPC's stategy of long-run "Tibetisation" of Hong Kong, aimed at marginalising Hong Kong people and their core values over time.[7][6]
Selected Statistics on One-way Permit Holders (OWPHs)
Year | No. of OWPHs | OWPHs aged 15+ | Remaining quota by year | Median age |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | 45234 | 30945 | 9516 | 29 |
2003 | 53507 | 38640 | 1243 | 30 |
2004 | 38072 | 26752 | 16678 | 29 |
2005 | 55106 | 40568 | -356 | 29 |
2006 | 54170 | 37779 | 580 | 27 |
2007 | 33865 | 24798 | 20885 | 28 |
2008 | 41610 | 31435 | 13140 | 28 |
2009 | 48587 | 38854 | 6163 | 29 |
2010 | 42624 | 34071 | 1216 | 29 |
2011 | 43379 | 35916 | 11371 | 31 |
2012 | 54646 | 47721 | 254 | 36 |
2013 | 45031 | 37797 | 9719 | 33 |
2014 | 40496 | 32627 | 14254 | 32 |
2015 (as at Q2) | 17733 | 14377 | - | 31-32 |
Reference
- ↑ Press Releases — LCQ17: One-way Permit, Government Information Centre, Hong Kong.
- ↑ Arrangement for Entry to Hong Kong from Mainland China, Immigration Department, Hong Kong.
- ↑ The Past and Future of the One Way Permit Scheme in the Context of a Population Policy for Hong Kong http://www.bauhinia.org/pdf/research/20080828/OWP_Report.pdf
- ↑ LegCo Q&A http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201303/20/P201303200372.htm
- ↑ 程翔, 從十八大看香港地下黨規模. Sina Corporation. Ming Pao, 7 November 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hung, Ho-fung. "Three Views of Local Consciousness in Hong Kong". The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12; Issue 44, No. 1; 3 November 2014.
- ↑ Lee, Martin (29 September 2012). "香港西藏化". Next Magazine.
- ↑ http://www.had.gov.hk/en/public_services/services_for_new_arrivals_from_the_mainland/surveys.htm
See also
- Two-way Permit, document used by mainland residents for short term visits to Hong Kong and Macau