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LCQ19: Number of holders of One-way Permits entering Hong Kong
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     Following is a question by the Dr Hon Fernando Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (November 29):

Question:

     Over the years, Mainland residents who wish to come to settle in Hong Kong must apply for Permits for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as One-way Permits (OWPs)) from the Public Security Bureau Offices where their household registrations are kept. According to the guidelines on Mainland residents' applications for proceeding to settle in Hong Kong published by the Mainland Public Security Bureau, Mainland residents to whom any one of the following situations is applicable may apply to proceed to settle in Hong Kong: (i) one's spouse is settled in Hong Kong (who may at the same time apply for bringing along his/her children aged under 18); (ii) one is aged above 18, under 60 and needs to go to Hong Kong to take care of his/her parents settled in Hong Kong both of whom are aged above 60 and have no children in Hong Kong; (iii) one is aged above 60, has no children on the Mainland, and is dependent on his/her children aged above 18 settled in Hong Kong; (iv) one is aged under 18 and is dependent on his/her parents settled in Hong Kong; and (v) one is a child of a Hong Kong permanent resident. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of Mainland residents who came to settle in Hong Kong on OWPs in each of the past 10 years, together with breakdowns by the age group to which they belonged (i.e. 0 to 15, 16 to 24, 25 to 40, 41 to 64 and 65 years old or above) and gender;

(2) of breakdowns, of the number of Mainland residents who came to settle in Hong Kong on OWPs in each of the past 10 years, by the following reasons for which they were issued OWPs: (i) to reunite with one's spouse (who was not accompanied by any children aged under 18), (ii) to reunite with one's spouse (who was accompanied by his/her children aged under 18), (iii) to take care of parents, (iv) being dependent on his/her parents, (v) being dependent on his/her children and (vi) other reasons;

(3) in respect of the cases in which OWPs were issued for "other reasons" as mentioned in (2), of the 10 most common situations; and

(4) whether it will subject the entry of Mainland residents who come to settle in Hong Kong on OWPs to its vetting and approval; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     According to Article 22 of the Basic Law and the interpretation by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 1999, Mainland residents who wish to enter Hong Kong for whatever reason must apply to the relevant authorities of their residential districts for approval in accordance with the relevant national laws and administrative regulations, and must hold valid documents issued by the relevant authorities. Accordingly, Mainland residents who wish to settle in Hong Kong for family reunion must apply for Permits for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as One-way Permits (OWPs)) from the exit and entry administration offices of the public security authority at the places of their household registration in the Mainland. My reply to the question is as follows:

(1) The numbers of holders of OWPs entering Hong Kong from 2007 to 2016 and their breakdown by age group and gender are as follows: 
 
  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
0-4 Male 1 393 1 555 1 683 1 690 1 445
  Female 1 289 1 487 1 595 1 654 1 385
5-14 Male 3 332 3 754 3 424 2 745 2 427
  Female 3 053 3 379 3 031 2 464 2 206
15-24 Male 2 230 3 033 2 997 2 659 2 686
  Female 2 284 3 084 3 327 3 162 3 028
25-34 Male 1 069 1 098 1 621 1 665 1 742
  Female 9 620 12 116 16 318 12 927 11 745
35-44 Male 2 074 2 255 2 153 1 955 3 058
  Female 4 298 5 933 8 018 7 256 8 156
45-54 Male 926 1 082 1 031 895 1 344
  Female 1 065 1 546 2 152 2 277 2 731
55-64 Male 241 283 292 296 404
  Female 549 585 560 614 673
65+ Male 142 158 159 151 138
  Female 300 262 226 214 211
Total
 
 
Male 11 407 13 218 13 360 12 056 13 244
Female 22 458 28 392 35 227 30 568 30 135
Both sexes 33 865 41 610 48 587 42 624 43 379
 
  2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
0-4 Male 1 371 1 693 2 092 1 678 1 838
  Female 1 378 1 582 1 890 1 569 1 703
5-14 Male 2 198 2 023 2 004 1 928 3 440
  Female 1 978 1 936 1 883 1 740 3 048
15-24 Male 2 319 2 027 2 086 2 410 5 660
  Female 2 484 2 325 2 321 2 380 5 160
25-34 Male 2 697 2 258 1 716 1 808 2 069
  Female 11 273 10 543 9 649 8 644 9 370
35-44 Male 6 331 4 172 3 244 2 676 3 725
  Female 11 446 8 373 7 587 6 911 8 299
45-54 Male 2 885 1 821 1 291 1 650 4 189
  Female 4 456 3 069 2 420 2 686 4 700
55-64 Male 1 346 975 665 709 1 492
  Female 1 898 1 647 1 125 1 012 1 674
65+ Male 247 258 244 262 586
  Female 339 329 279 275 434
Total
 
 
Male 19 394 15 227 13 342 13 121 22 999
Female 35 252 29 804 27 154 25 217 34 388
Both sexes 54 646 45 031 40 496 38 338 57 387

(2) and (3) A breakdown of the numbers of holders of OWPs entering Hong Kong by category from 2007 to 2016 is as follows: 
 
  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Holders of Certificate of Entitlement 4 487 4 490 5 025 4 662 3 758
Spouses separated for 10 years or more and their accompanying children 823 1 041 829 651 619
Other categories 28 555 36 079 42 733 37 311 39 002
Total 33 865 41 610 48 587 42 624 43 379
 
  2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Holders of Certificate of Entitlement 3 750 4 329 4 938 3 655 3 508
Spouses separated for 10 years or more and their accompanying children 733 742 791 753 870
Other categories 50 163 39 960 34 767 33 930 53 009
Total 54 646 45 031 40 496 38 338 57 387

Notes:
1. Arrivals under "other categories" include those who come to Hong Kong for reunion with their spouses separated for less than 10 years and their accompanying children aged under 18; who are aged above 18 and under 60 and need to come to Hong Kong to take care of their parents settled in Hong Kong both of whom are aged above 60 and have no children in Hong Kong; who are aged above 60 and have no children in the Mainland, and have to depend on their children aged above 18 settled in Hong Kong; or who are aged under 18 and have to depend on their parents settled in Hong Kong; "overage children", etc.

2. The above figures are compiled from the statistics based on the information collected from holders of Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao upon their entry into Hong Kong.

(4) OWPs are documents issued by the relevant authorities in the Mainland. The application, approval and issuance of OWPs fall within the remit of the Mainland authorities. The Immigration Department (ImmD) facilitates the processing of OWP applications by the Mainland authorities at case level, including issuing Certificates of Entitlement to the Right of Abode to children of Hong Kong permanent residents, and when necessary, rendering assistance in verifying the supporting documents submitted by the applicants and their claimed relationship with relatives in Hong Kong (e.g. husband and wife, parent and child). Where a case is found to be suspicious or when factual discrepancies are identified, ImmD will inform the Mainland authorities and request the applicant to provide further documentary proof. ImmD will also assist the Mainland authorities in investigating cases involving OWPs obtained through unlawful means. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region does not consider that there is any need or justification to request the Mainland authorities to consider changing the existing OWP scheme or approval arrangements.
 
Ends/Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:45
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