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Following is a summary of the major activities of Immigration Department Review 2008:
Traffic at Control Points
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The Control Branch experienced another busy year of passenger traffic in 2008. About 223 million passengers passed through our control points, up 2.3% compared with 2007. The total number of visitor arrivals reached 29.5 million, representing an increase of 4.7%, among which the land boundary control points and the sea control points saw increases of 8.3% and 4.8% respectively, whereas the airport control point recorded a slight 1.2% decrease.
Golden Week
A total of 729,000 Mainland visitors arrived during the 2008 Lunar New Year and and 481,000 arrived during the National Day Golden Week, up 13.6% and 9.5% respectively compared with 2007. Under the new holiday arrangement in recent years, Ching Ming, Labour Day, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn Festival are also designated ‘mini-Golden Week’ public holidays on the Mainland.
Operation of Control Points
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Diversion of traffic at boundary control points
The Shenzhen Bay Control Point (SBCP) began operation on July 1, 2007. Located at Shekou in Shenzhen, this is the first boundary control point providing co-location of boundary crossing facilities to both passenger and vehicular traffic between Hong Kong and the Mainland. In 2008, 12.52 million passengers and 2.16 million vehicles travelled through SBCP.
The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point (LMCSCP) came into operation on August 15, 2007. Situated at Lok Ma Chau MTR Station, the control point serves rail passengers while it is also accessible by franchised bus, public light bus and taxi. Passenger traffic at the LMCSCP has grown steadily since its commissioning. The daily average passenger figure saw a rise from about 40,000 in early 2008 to around 62,000 at the end of 2008, representing an increase of 55%. By year-end, more than 18.5 million passengers had travelled through the control point and the peak daily traffic of 77,167 passengers was recorded on December 20, 2008.
The two new control points helped alleviate the pressure on the existing boundary control points. While the overall land boundary passenger traffic recorded an increase of 3%, the passenger traffic at Hung Hom, Lok Ma Chau, Lo Wu, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok recorded a decrease from the last year. Similarly, despite a 0.5% increase in overall vehicular traffic, there was a decrease in vehicular traffic at Lok Ma Chau and Man Kam To. In 2008, SBCP and LMCSCP shared 7.5% and 11.1% of the overall land boundary passenger traffic respectively, and SBCP took up 14.1% of the overall vehicular traffic.
Non-local Pregnant Visitors
To complement the new obstetric service arrangements implemented by the Administration from February 1, 2007, the Immigration Department stepped up arrival checks of all visitors who were at an advanced stage of pregnancy (28 weeks or above). Visitors whose purpose of visit is believed to be giving birth in Hong Kong are required to produce proof of booking arrangements with a local hospital. Any visitor who cannot meet the immigration requirements concerned may be persuaded to return to their last port. In 2008, 36,836 pregnant visitors were invited for secondary examination and 1,971 (5.4%) were persuaded to return to their last port. According to the Hospital Authority, the number of deliveries admitted via Accident and Emergency Departments by non-eligible persons continued to drop by 42.6% from a daily average of 4.7 in 2007 to 2.7 in 2008.
Facilitation of People Movement
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Facilitation to Cross-boundary Students
In the 2008-09 school year, a rising number of cross-boundary students passed through boundary control points. The daily number of cross-boundary students (under 11 years of age) was around 3,800. Designated counters were reserved during peak hours to expedite clearance for the students. Six designated e-Channels for cross-boundary students have also been put into operation at Lo Wu Control Point since December 2007.
To further facilitate cross-boundary students, the Administration approved 20 special quotas for coach operators to run door-to-door cross-boundary coaches for students using the Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Shenzhen Bay Control Points. “On-board clearance” for cross-boundary students has also been put on trial since March 3, 2008, on coaches passing through Man Kam To Control Point.
Frequent Visitor e-Channel at HK International Airport
Effective from May 19, 2008, the e-Channel service was extended to eligible frequent visitors to Hong Kong who are aged 18 or above and who hold a valid HKSAR Travel Pass, Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Business Travel Card or Hong Kong International Airport Frequent Visitor Card. Successfully enrolled frequent visitors can enjoy self-service immigration clearance at Hong Kong International Airport. By the end of 2008, there were 10 Frequent Visitor (FV) e-Channels installed at Terminal 1 of the Airport, six for arriving and four for departing passengers. Three enrolment offices have been set up at the arrival halls for enrolment and enquiry services. More than 12,400 frequent visitors from 75 countries/regions had enrolled and the usage of FV e-Channels reached 45,000 by the end of 2008. ImmD plans to extend the e-Channel service to other categories of visitors as well as permanent identity card holders of Macao.
Policies to Attract Capital and Talent
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Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
The QMAS was implemented on June 28, 2006. The scheme seeks to attract highly skilled or talented people from the Mainland and overseas to settle in Hong Kong to enhance Hong Kong's economic competitiveness in the global market. The scheme is quota-based. Applicants are required to fulfil a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests - the "General Points Test" (GPT) and "Achievement-based Points Test" (APT) - and compete for quota allocation with other applicants. Successful applicants are not required to secure an offer of local employment before taking up residence in Hong Kong.
Since the scheme was launched and up to the end of 2008, 2,572 applications have been received. Nine selection exercises were conducted and 886 applicants were allotted quotas, 816 under the GPT and 70 under the APT. Successful applicants under the GPT were mainly from the sectors of Financial and Accounting Services, Information Technology and Telecommunications, and Commerce and Trade. Under the APT, successful applicants mainly came from the sectors of Sports, and Arts and Culture.
Changes have been made to the scheme since January 2008 to attract more aspiring young talent, as well as professionals with significant accomplishments and proven ability, to come to Hong Kong. The changes include lifting the upper age limit and adjusting the marking scheme under the GPT for age, working experience and language proficiency. Since the relaxation and up to the end of 2008, a total of 1,317 applications were received, representing an increase of 126% compared with the 582 applications received in the corresponding period in 2007. It indicates that the changes have been effective in attracting more quality migrants.
Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES)
Launched on October 27, 2003, CIES has been well received and successfully attracted entrants who are bringing in new capital. As at the end of 2008, 6,503 applications had been received. The average reported personal assets was $22.62 million per applicant.
Of the 6,503 applicants, 3,347 have made the requisite investments and were given formal approval to reside in Hong Kong. They have invested a total of $23.84 billion in permissible investment assets, an average of $7.12 million per entrant, which exceeded the basic requirement of the $6.5 million requisite investment by 9.5%. Another 755 applicants were given approval-in-principle to enter Hong Kong for making the requisite investments.
In 2008, the rising trend on intake of CIES applications persisted with 2,798 applications received, up 55.9% compared with 2007. Since the onset of the global financial tsunami, 768 applications have been received, and 617 applicants were given formal approval, involving a total investment of $4.43 billion from September to December 2008. There was virtually no change in the intake number compared with the same period in 2007.
Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP)
The ASMTP, implemented on July 15, 2003, has attracted a wide variety of qualified talent and professionals from the Mainland to come to work in Hong Kong.
In 2008, 6,744 applications were approved, representing an increase of 11% compared with the 6,075 applications in 2007. The companies concerned considered that the Mainland professionals enhanced efficiency/productivity at their companies, broadened their business profile and fostered collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
With the global financial tsunami, a downward trend in the intake of ASMTP applications was seen in the latter part of 2008. From September to December 2008, a monthly average intake of 576 applications was recorded, down 15% compared with the monthly average of 677 from January to August.
Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
The "Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates" (IANG) was launched on May 19, 2008, to complement the policy initiative "Developing Hong Kong as a Regional Education Hub". The objective of the IANG is to attract non-local graduates to stay/return and work in Hong Kong to strengthen Hong Kong's human resources and competitiveness and enhance Hong Kong’s attractiveness to non-local students.
Since the scheme was launched and up to the end of 2008, 2,758 non-local graduates were approved to stay/return and work in Hong Kong.
Facilitation and Enhancement Measures
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Extension of Visa-free Visit Period for Nationals of Six Middle East Countries
Hong Kong adopts a liberal visa regime for the convenience of tourists and business visitors. Nationals of about 170 countries and territories enjoy visa free access to Hong Kong for visits ranging from seven to 180 days. Our visa policy is kept under review and changes will be introduced whenever circumstances warrant. With effect from February 4, 2008, the visa-free visit period for nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia has been extended from 14 days to 30 days, to enhance their travel convenience.
Launching of New Application Forms / Guidebooks and Streamlining of Related Application Procedures
The department introduced new application forms for employment as professionals and for training on May 19, 2008. The new bilingual, simplified and user-friendly application forms provide greater convenience to the applicants and the employing/sponsoring companies in making these applications. The forms also accommodate the information of the accompanying dependants who are no longer required to complete separate application forms. Documents required to support these applications have also been streamlined so that certain documents relating to the employing/sponsoring companies can be exempted, such as the business registration certificate, financial statement and company background, provided that the company concerned had successfully obtained an employment or training visa / entry permit for a non-local in the 18 months immediately before the submission of application.
To provide greater convenience to the applicants, new application forms and guidebooks for entry to Hong Kong for visit/transit, study, investment (to establish/join in business), residence as dependants, employment of domestic helpers from abroad and employment as imported workers were also introduced in the year.
Law Enforcement
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Enforcement Actions Against Illegal Employment
In 2008, 10,227 operations against illegal employment were conducted, with 6,141 suspected illegal workers and 885 employers arrested.
Deterrent to Global Illegal Migration Activities
The department has, for years, joined forces with international law enforcement agencies to combat global illegal migration that involves the extensive use of document fraud. With the gradual introduction of sophisticated biometric e-passports by many countries, however, human smuggling syndicates have been compelled to resort to other modus operandi to circumvent detection.
Latest intelligence revealed a growing trend of syndicates sneaking illegal migrants into overseas countries by way of impersonation. They would buy passports and boarding passes from rightful holders of Hong Kong SAR passports and sell them to illegal migrants to board flights heading for their destination countries. The department has taken proactive enforcement action against such illegal activities to uphold the integrity of Hong Kong SAR passports. In 2008, immigration investigators apprehended 103 suspected offenders involved in such illegal activities. All of them were Hong Kong residents except one Malaysian visitor. Each of them was rewarded with from $400 to $4,000 by the syndicates. Among them, 18 were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 2.5 months to three years while the others were either going through judicial assessment or pending trial. The department will continue its efforts to curb such illegal activities.
Combating Forged Travel Documents
The department put in a concerted effort to combat travel document forgery. The number of operations against forgery activities increased from 21,538 in 2007 to 22,873 in 2008. The deterrent effect was obvious. The number of forged travel documents detected decreased by 11% from 1,598 in 2007 to 1,423 in 2008. The department is committed to getting to the root of the problem by smashing syndicates. To this end, we will conduct thorough investigations on users in order to trace the source.
Bogus Marriages Uncovered
The department has been very concerned with non-Hong Kong residents obtaining stay in Hong Kong by means of bogus marriage. A special task force has been set up to gather intelligence through various avenues and a thorough investigation will be conducted once evidence comes to light. If there is enough evidence, the department will launch prosecutions.
In 2008, 143 Mainland residents and 116 Hong Kong residents were convicted of offences relating to bogus marriages. The 259 people convicted, including matchmakers and syndicate members, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from four to 28 months.
CAT Screening
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The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) has been extended to Hong Kong. In 2008, a total of 2,198 torture claim cases (involving 2,198 people) were received - up 38.85% compared with 1,583 cases (involving 1,584 people) in 2007. The majority of the claimants came from South Asian and African countries.
Travel documents
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HKSAR Passport Applications
Since February 5, 2007, we have accepted applications for the HKSAR Electronic Passport (e-Passport). To enhance our service, on August 25, 2008, we introduced the 'self-service kiosk' as a new application channel for the HKSAR Passport. Other than submitting the application via the Internet, eligible applicants aged 18 and above may choose to submit their applications for an e-Passport via the self-service kiosks installed at the headquarters and Immigration branch offices. We believe that the new application option will be welcomed and widely used by applicants. Eligible applicants may also choose to submit their applications in person, by post, or via drop-in boxes. However, replacement passport applications due to loss/damage or change of personal particulars must be submitted in person. For further enhancement of service, starting from February 16, 2009, the processing time for the issue of passports for children under 11 not holding a Hong Kong permanent identity card will be shortened from 19 to 14 working days.
During the year, 504,404 HKSAR passport applications were received and 503,421 passports were issued.
Visa-free Access for HKSAR Passport Holders
At present, 136 countries/territories have granted visa-free access or visa on arrival to holders of HKSAR passports. In 2008, the Dominican Republic was added to the list. The department will continue to lobby for visa-free access for HKSAR passport holders to visit more countries/territories.
Operation of Self-service Kiosks for e-Passport
To further facilitate Hong Kong residents aged 18 and above to apply for an e-Passport, on August 25, 2008, we implemented the "Easy Send" self-service kiosks for passport applications. With a valid permanent identity card and a recent colour photograph with white background, eligible applicants may, during office hours, apply at the "Easy-Send" kiosks installed at Immigration headquarters and six Immigration branch offices. Payment of the passport fee is made by EPS and the whole process takes about 10 minutes. After the application is successfully submitted, the applicant can immediately get a collection notice from the kiosk specifying when and where to collect the new passport. Currently, a total of 16 self-service kiosks have been installed at Immigration headquarters and six Immigration branch offices.
Invalidation of Old HK Identity Cards
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The Hong Kong Smart Identity Card Replacement Exercise launched on August 18, 2003, was completed on March 31, 2007. With the completion of the replacement exercise, old identity cards have been declared invalid by batches in accordance with the 'first apply, first invalidated' principle through the issue of four Registration of Persons (Invalidation of Identity Cards) Orders between May 2006 and May 2008. With effect from November 30, 2008, all old identity cards issued before June 23, 2003, have become invalid.
Assistance to Hong Kong Residents in Distress Outside Hong Kong
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The Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit (AHU) works closely with the Security Bureau, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our diplomatic and consular missions overseas, the Office of the HKSAR Government in Beijing (Beijing Office), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong (GDETO) as well as other government departments to provide assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong. In 2008, 2,315 requests were handled.
Winding up of Oasis Airline
In April, 2008, Oasis Airline announced its closure of business. To assist Hong Kong residents stranded overseas due to the winding up of Oasis Airline, the AHU deployed four Immigration Officers in two teams to London and Vancouver. The AHU maintained close liaison with Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in London and Toronto, and other relevant government departments to provide assistance to the affected Hong Kong residents for returning Hong Kong.
Sichuan Earthquake
The Sichuan Earthquake took place in May 2008 and the AHU received 126 requests for assistance and 476 enquiries. One female Hong Kong resident was injured during the earthquake and received medical treatment in Sichuan. The AHU maintained close liaison with her family members, the Beijing Office and other government departments for arranging her early return to Hong Kong.
Closure of Suvarnmabhumi International Airport in Bangkok
Bangkok's Suvarnmabhumi International Airport was closed due to civil unrest from November 25 to December 4, 2008. The AHU received 969 requests for assistance and more than 2,000 enquiries from Hong Kong residents who were stranded in Thailand. The AHU kept close contact with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and other government bureaus and departments for rendering feasible assistance to the affected Hong Kong residents.
Car accidents outside Hong Kong
In 2008, several car accidents involving a number of Hong Kong residents happened outside Hong Kong, namely in New Zealand (March), Neimonggol and Shantou (May), Phuket, Thailand (November), Yunnan and Haifeng (December). Following these car accidents, the AHU closely worked with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, the relevant Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions, the Beijing Office, the GDETO and other government departments to provide all feasible assistance to the affected Hong Kong residents and their family members.
Civil Celebrants of Marriages Scheme
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The Civil Celebrants of Marriages Scheme was launched in March 2006. As at the end of 2008, a total of 1,405 lawyers/notary publics had been appointed as civil celebrants. The scheme has been well received, as it provides more choices, greater flexibility and greater convenience in the arrangements for weddings. As at end of 2008, 44,660 marriage notices were given through civil celebrants, representing 31.95% of total applications. A total of 43,789 marriages were solemnised by civil celebrants, representing 33.25% of total marriage registrations.
The department will continue to monitor the services provided by civil celebrants and review the running of the scheme, to ensure that people are able to enjoy flexible, diversified and satisfactory marriage solemnisation services. With the decrease in demand for marriage celebration at marriage registries, the performance level of the registries is also under active review.
Information Systems
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Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Awards 2008
The Department participated in the Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Awards 2008. The e-Passport System has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Award of the Year, the Best Innovation and Research Grand Award, the Best Innovation and Research (Open Stream) Award, the Best Lifestyle (Work Life and Professional Services) Award and the Best Public Service Application (Most Favoured) Award. The Control Point System and the Frequent Visitors e-Channel have also been shortlisted as finalists for the Best Business (Application) Award and the Best Public Service Application (Transformation) Award respectively. The result of the awards will be announced on February 9.
e-Service
The department introduced on-line application for access to information of the Immigration Department last September and appointment booking for registration of birth last November. With these new services, the public may request general information on-line on various services provided by the department without having to travel to immigration offices for the services and make an appointment for registration of the birth of their newborns via the Internet round-the-clock/telephone booking system.
Recruitment of Service Staff
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A total of 220 Immigration Officers (IO) and 341 Immigration Assistants (IA) recruited in the Recruitment Exercise 2007-08 have been taken on strength with the last batch of intakes completing induction training in autumn 2008. To cope with departmental manpower planning, a new round of IA and IO recruitment activities began in July and August 2008 respectively. Following the Chief Executive’s directive to speed up the recruitment of civil servants, we have been expediting the recruitment process. Selection interviews of the IA candidates ended in early January and the first batch of about 40 new recruits will receive induction training by the end of February. The IO recruitment process has also accelerated its pace.
Training and Development
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Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development (ISITD)
The ISITD continues to provide high quality training services and learning resources to Immigration Service Grade staff. It is responsible for ascertaining training needs, formulating the annual training and development plan, implementing training activities and evaluating the effectiveness of training programmes. It also promotes the culture of "life-long learning" in the department.
In 2008, a total of 366 new recruits including 182 Immigration Officers and 184 Immigration Assistants received induction training. A total of 1,930 Immigration staff attended in-service training at the ISITD.
To help maintain the current high customer service standard, the ISITD continued to organise Customer Service Workshops in 2008.
Mainland Training and Exchange Programme
The department continued to foster a closer working relationship with Mainland counterparts by arranging training and exchange programmes for Immigration Service staff as well as for Mainland officials. In 2008, a total of 115 staff participated in training visits to the Mainland or attended study programmes there. The cities were Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海), Changchun (長春), Hefei (合肥), Nanjing (南京), Chongqing (重慶) and Guangzhou (廣州). The department arranged for 169 Mainland officials to attend study programmes in Hong Kong for durations ranging from one to four weeks.
Overseas Training and Exchange Programmes
The department offered various overseas training opportunities for broadening officers' perspective, enhancing their professional knowledge and developing their management and leadership skills.
In 2008, 18 officers were sent to Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the USA for study visits or courses on administration, management, crime investigation, information systems and forgery detection.
To facilitate sharing of experience and expertise and building up of a good working relationship with officers of other countries or regions, six officers were sent to the Republic of Korea and two officers to France for exchange programmes.
Green Management
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Environmental Policy
We are committed to ensuring that all the services delivered as well as all our internal operations are conducted in a manner conforming to environmental protection principles and practices.
Energy Conservation
To achieve energy conservation, we have taken a number of measures such as setting the room temperature of air-conditioned premises at the recommended level of 25.5C during summer months, reducing the number of fluorescent tubes in corridors, toilets, pantries, storage areas and circulation space, replacing traditional T8 fluorescent tubes with more energy-efficient T5 lighting in our office premises, as well as activating the hibernation mode for computer equipment. Following the expert advice of the EMSD which completed energy audits at Immigration headquarters, the Lo Wu Control Point and Man Kam To Control Point, we have installed occupancy sensors at cellular offices at Immigration headquarters and carried out further de-lamping exercises at public waiting areas so that the illumination level has been adjusted to the recommended level. Compared with 2007, energy consumption in 2008 has decreased by 0.5%.
Minimisation of Paper Consumption
To save paper and enhance efficient communication with the public and staff, we have made the best use of information technology for dissemination of information in recent years. The wide use of emails, the Internet, an intranet portal, e-services and other electronic means in conducting our business has helped reduce paper consumption significantly. Despite the expansion of our department such as the commissioning of new control points at Shenzhen Bay and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, overall paper consumption has dropped by 11% over the past five years.
Recycling of Waste and Recovery of Resources
Apart from conservation of resources, we fully support recycling of waste in order to alleviate the pressures on landfills in Hong Kong. In 2008, we participated in the Programme on Source Separation of Commercial and Industrial Waste as promulgated by the Environmental Protection Department. Collection bins have been put on each floor at Immigration headquarters to collect recyclable waste such as metal, plastics and paper. Moreover, we trade-in used printer cartridges with suppliers for recycling purposes to minimise solid waste.
Promotion of Staff Awareness
To enhance the awareness of staff on green management and to cultivate a green culture, we regularly organise campaigns such as collection of used clothes and educational activities such as seminars, talks and visits. Green corners with posters, green tips and/or the latest news concerning green matters are set up at conspicuous locations in various offices. We will continue to explore other means of resources conservation by following the 4R Principles (Replace, Reuse, Reduce and Recycle) in the running of offices.
Vision for 2009
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Express e-Channels
ImmD plans to implement the "Express e-Channel" pilot scheme at Lo Wu control point in February to speed up automated immigration clearance and increase passenger throughput during festive and peak periods. The new service is applicable to existing e-Channel users aged 18 or above who are willing to enrol. Residents may use this new service after completing a simple enrolment process. Passengers using Express e-Channels can complete the immigration clearance process in about eight seconds, which is about four seconds faster than the traditional e-Channels.
Application and Investigation Easy System (APPLIES) and Electronic Records Programme (ERP)
The department fully implemented the Application and Investigation Easy System (APPLIES) and Electronic Records Programme (ERP) in December 2008. With the digitisation of records, manual efforts on maintenance and distribution of files and records can be saved. Significant service improvement including shortening of the application processing time is anticipated in areas relating to visas, permits, travel passes and nationality matters, and registration of births, deaths and marriages.
New Measures to Provide Greater Travel Convenience to Taiwan Residents
Currently, Taiwan residents may apply for an iPermit or a multiple-journey entry permit for visiting Hong Kong. Alternatively, Taiwan residents holding "Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents" (commonly known as "Tai Bao Zheng") with a valid entry/exit endorsement for the Mainland may visit Hong Kong for a stay of up to seven days if meeting normal immigration requirements, regardless of whether they are in transit to and from the Mainland.
To provide greater convenience and flexibility for Taiwan residents to visit Hong Kong, particularly "pack-and-go" travellers, two new measures were implemented from January 1, 2009. They were: -
(i) Lifting the restriction that only two iPermits can be applied for within 30 days; and
(ii) Extending the period of stay in Hong Kong from 14 days to 30 days for holders of iPermits and Multiple-journey Entry Permits.
Greater Travel Convenience for Macao Residents
We are reviewing the entry arrangements for Macao residents with a view to introducing simplified measures to further enhance their convenience for travelling to and from Hong Kong. Measures under consideration include extending "e-channel" facilities to Macao permanent residents, dispensing with furnishing of arrival/departure cards by Macao permanent residents and allowing qualified Macao permanent residents to travel to Hong Kong with their Macao permanent identity cards only. Details will be announced later.
Online Reporting of Immigration Offences
Currently, people can report information on suspected immigration offences, such as overstaying and employing illegal workers, by means of letter, the department's 24-hour hotline, fax or email. To provide people with an additional avenue for reporting suspected immigration offences, the department is developing the "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences". This service is expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2009.
Facilitation during 2009 5th East Asian Games Period
The department will implement appropriate measures to facilitate the entry of participants for the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong. We are tasked with providing efficient and effective services for the participants, guests and visitors during the games period while maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
Pilot Electronic Check Point System
The department launched the Electronic Check Point System (e-CPoint) in late 2005. The system enables automated pre-screening of arriving passengers upon flight check-in and thus facilitates immigration processing. The e-CPoint scheme currently has two participating airlines and another airline will join the pilot trial in early 2009. The department is considering full implementation of the e-CPoint by mandating all airlines to comply with the operation requirements.
Ends/Monday, January 19, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:39
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