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Following is the Immigration Department's major activities covered by the Director of Immigration, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, at the department's Year-end Briefing for 2003 today (January 19):
Hong Kong Smart Identity Card
The Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill 2001 was passed in March 2003 and the department started to issue the new smart identity (ID) cards on June 23, 2003.
Pursuant to the Registration of Persons (Application for New Identity Cards) Order made by the Secretary for Security in May 2003, the territory-wide ID card replacement exercise commenced on August 18, 2003. Up to December 31, 2003, 429,515 applications were received at the nine Smart Identity Card Centres.
To apply for a smart ID card under the replacement exercise, members of the public can make bookings round the clock either by a telephone hotline (1838 333), via the Internet (www.esd.gov.hk) or at any ESD kiosks. The appointment service is popular with the public and the turn-up rate is about 85%.
Immigration Control
The outbreak of SARS brought about a drop in passenger movement at the control points. Air traffic was the hardest hit, with only 1.9 million passengers in the second quarter of 2003, down 66% from 5.7 million in the same period in 2002. In the latter half of the year, the traffic volume picked up steadily as the threat of SARS ebbed. With the introduction of the "individual visit" scheme on July 28, 2003, the number of Mainland visitors rose dramatically. The daily average soared to 23,059, up 24.2% from 18,570 in 2002. As a result, the overall traffic dropped by an insignificant 5.6% on a year-on-year basis.
During the outbreak of SARS, our staff took up additional responsibilities designed to protect the health of Hong Kong citizens. These included screening and collecting health declaration forms from people entering Hong Kong as well as monitoring temperature checks of travellers. During the early stage of their implementation, the department deployed 300 additional officers to the control points to help travellers comply with the new procedures. For the safety of our colleagues and the people we served, transparent screens were installed at the counters. As well as providing protective gears to frontline staff, we also stepped up hygiene efforts in our office premises.
Lo Wu remained the busiest control point. The average daily volume stood at about 233,000. During weekends and festive periods, the figure could exceed 254,000 a day. The highest figure of 332,776 was recorded on January 18, 2003, which was a Saturday.
The 24-hour passenger clearance service at Lok Ma Chau started on January 27, 2003. An average of 8,053 movements were recorded per night. The figure could rise above 9,000 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Christmas Day (December 25, 2003) was the busiest day of the year with overnight traffic rising to a record high of 14,640.
To cope with the traffic increases, the following measures have been adopted:
1) Improvement works
A series of improvement works are being undertaken at Lo Wu, including expansion of the departure hall and widening of the passageway. This will yield an extra 1,100 square metres of space at the departure hall for queuing and for the installation of 14 additional counters. The improvement works started in October 2002 and are targeted for completion in phases by February 2005. Some improvement works, such as replacing 46 side-facing counters at the Resident Arrival Hall with 48 front-facing counters, the installation of large-scale signage and new LED display systems at all immigration counters, have been completed.
At Lok Ma Chau, a substantial part of the expansion project was completed before the last National Day festive holiday period. The passenger clearance hall has been expanded with the total number of counters increased from 35 to 50. Other improvement facilities include:
i) An inbound and an outbound coach kiosk. Immigration clearances for coach and shuttle-bus drivers can now be processed at the kiosks;
ii) 12 coach drop-off bays and 20 pick-up bays at each direction;
iii) 10 travellators (two each at inbound/outbound drop-off areas and three each at inbound/outbound pick-up areas);
iv) Coach Parking Information System at inbound and outbound pick-up areas. The system provides passengers with clear information on the parking bays of their coaches; and
v) Four atriums - incoming and outgoing (south), and incoming and outgoing (north). Arriving and departing passengers can proceed straight from the coach drop-off area to the terminal building for immigration clearance and to the coach pick-up area afterwards.
2) Use of advanced technology
More than 600 new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) readers were installed at all immigration control points in phases from March to September 2003. They are faster and more accurate. At the same time, an "Expeditious Immigration Clearance" (EIC) system was put on trial at Lo Wu Control Point in July 2003. With EIC, the passport data of a queuing passenger can be read by the new OCR reader installed in front of the immigration counter and sent to the counter officer's workstation before the passenger's turn for clearance. This can cut short the clearance time and improve the efficiency of immigration officers by 10%. The system has been extended to 112 arrival counters at Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and China Ferry Terminal since September 2003.
3) Diversion of traffic
To optimise the use of resources at the less busy boundary control points, Mainland tour groups are encouraged to use the Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok boundary crossings. With the operation of the SkyPier at the Hong Kong International Airport from September 29, 2003, transit passengers from four Pearl River Delta (PRD) ports, namely Shekou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Macau, may make use of ferry services to travel to the Airport for flight connections. This helps to relieve the congestion at Lok Ma Chau.
4) Liaison with the Mainland and with other organisations
To ensure a smooth flow of cross-boundary traffic, there is a well-established notification system with our Mainland counterparts. In advance of the festive holiday periods, meetings are held to discuss arrangements and to strengthen co-ordination between the two sides. A Joint Command Centre, manned by the Immigration Department, Police, Customs and Excise Department, Transport Department and Tourism Commission, was set up and activated during the National Day Golden Week and the Christmas and New Year holidays to monitor the traffic situation and take prompt actions when necessary. Apart from maintaining close liaison with the travel operators through the Travel Industry Council, briefing sessions for the travel agents and familiarisation visits to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau were arranged to ensure their understanding of the clearance procedures and the environment of the control points.
Law enforcement
1) Illegal employment and prostitution
In 2003, the department conducted 5,739 operations and arrested 17,626 people - 16,548 illegal workers and 1,078 employers. The number of operations and arrests increased by 60.3% and 36.6% respectively compared with 3,580 operations and 12,908 arrests (involving 11,990 illegal workers and 918 employers) in 2002. The department also worked closely with the Police and other departments to take vigorous enforcement actions against illegal workers and visiting prostitutes. An inter-departmental task force comprising the Police, Immigration Department, Customs and Excise Department, Labour Department, Correctional Services Department and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department was set up in April 2003 to tackle these problems.
In respect of Mainland visitors arrested for illegal employment and prostitution, we forward their particulars to the Mainland authorities for appropriate action. On our part, our officers maintain vigilance at the control points and conduct in-depth enquiries on doubtful visitors. In 2003, 18,621 visitors from the Mainland were refused permission to land.
In order to raise the public's awareness of the serious consequences of employing illegal workers, an extensive publicity campaign was launched. A new series of TV and radio announcements entitled "Don't Hire Illegal Labour" has been broadcast since early 2003. A new programme, "Don't Employ Illegal Workers" has also been uploaded onto our homepage since November 2003 to strengthen the publicity.
At the same time, the department has been encouraging members of the public to provide information on illegal employment by letter (address : 5/F, Skyline Tower, 39 Wang Kwong Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon), through the department's 24-hour hotline (2824 1551), fax (2824 1166) or emails (anti_crime@immd.gov.hk). In December 2003, the hotline system was upgraded to a computerised interactive-voice response system. In 2003, 10,412 complaints on illegal employment were received, up 60% from 6,508 in 2002.
2) Forged travel documents
In 2003, the department detected 3,094 forged travel documents. To counteract the problem of people seeking illegal residence overseas in transit through Hong Kong, the Airport Investigation Group (AIG) of the department conducted 4,479 flight operations. As a result, 1,444 people were intercepted and 875 were successfully prosecuted.
The department maintained close liaison and cooperation with its local, Mainland and foreign counterparts in tackling the problem of illegal migration. In November 2002, an operation codenamed "CROSSLINE" targeted at a cross-boundary gang that touted for Hong Kong residents to sell their HKSAR passports to the forgery syndicate was jointly conducted with the Police and Guangdong Public Security Bureau. As a result, 25 people were apprehended. Nine Hong Kong residents were convicted and jailed.
The department also participated in international conferences to explain our policies and measures as well as to enhance co-operation with our Mainland and foreign counterparts in fighting forgery and human smuggling activities.
Travel documents
1) HKSAR passport
A new version of the HKSAR passport with enhanced security features was introduced in January 2003. A total of 423,179 passports were issued last year.
At present, HKSAR passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 127 countries and territories. The department will continue to lobby more countries for maximum travel convenience for our passport holders.
2) Machine-readable Document of Identity for Visa Purposes
A new Machine-readable Document of Identity for Visa Purposes (MRDI) was introduced on September 1, 2003. The production, security features and format of the MRDI are very similar to those of the HKSAR passport. The processing time of an MRDI is 15 working days and applications can be made in-person or by post.
Assistance to Hong Kong residents outside the SAR
The department's Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit (AHU) is tasked with providing practical assistance to residents in distress outside the territory. In 2003, 1,470 requests were handled.
During the outbreak of SARS, the department monitored travel restrictions and screening procedures imposed by other countries. It liaised closely with the Travel Industry Council, Department of Health, consular representatives in Hong Kong, Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions and overseas authorities in providing assistance to Hong Kong residents who encountered difficulties when travelling abroad.
Capital Investment Entrant Scheme
The Capital Investment Entrant (CIE) Scheme was implemented with effect from October 27, 2003. The objective of the scheme is to facilitate the entry of capital investment entrants (people who make capital investment but would not be engaged in running of a business here) for residence in Hong Kong.
At December 31, 2003, 150 applications under the scheme (together with 172 dependant applications) had been received and 54 applicants were granted (19 Formal Approval and 35 Approval-In-Principle).
Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals
The Admission of Talents Scheme and the Admission of Mainland Professionals Scheme were replaced by the new Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals on July 15, 2003. The objective of the new Scheme is to attract qualified Mainland talents and professionals to work in Hong Kong in order to meet local manpower needs and enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness in the global market. There is no quota or sectoral restriction.
At December 31, 2003, 1,350 of the 1,762 applications received under the scheme had been approved.
Vision for 2004
In recognition of the department's exemplary and praiseworthy efforts in maintaining high efficiency of the services provided, the department was granted the Efficiency Award (Large Group Category) in the Civil Service Customer Service Award Scheme in 2003. Two members of the department also won The Ombudsman Awards 2003 for Individual Officers in recognition of their efforts of serving the community in a fair, impartial and efficient manner. The department will continue with its efforts to provide quality service to the public and to maintain effective immigration control. Notably, the following initiatives will be undertaken:
The Immigration Control Automation System in operation at the control points to support immigration clearance has been in use since 1995. The technology is outdated and the capacity, limited. It will be replaced in the second quarter of 2004. The replacement system will enable us to handle the anticipated upsurges in traffic at an increasing number of control points.
The Finance Committee has approved funds for the implementation of the Automated Passenger Clearance System and the Automated Vehicle Clearance System. The tender process is coming to an end and the contract will be awarded shortly . We aim to implement the two systems in phases from end 2004. The two systems will support self-service immigration clearance by Hong Kong permanent residents holding smart identity cards.
The department has formed a working group to study the feasibility of integrating biometrics into the HKSAR passport. This is in line with a global development championed by the International Civil Aviation Organization to enhance the security standards of travel documents. The findings and recommendations of the working group are expected to be available in 2004.
It is planned to apply the facial recognition technology to immigration control. A pilot system will be procured in 2004 to test the effectiveness of the technology in terms of identifying suspect arrivals and immigration offenders, including those who try to circumvent our control by concealing their identity.
The department plans to allow the private sector to provide services relating to celebration of marriage. We are studying, among other things, the criteria for appointment of suitable people as celebrants and the mode of appointment. Legislative changes will be required. The Government will consult relevant professional bodies on details of the initiative.
The department has been given permission to recruit 230 staff to cope with the increases in workload, specifically at the control points. The recruitment process has commenced and more that 18,000 applications for joining the department have been received. The first batch of officers is expected to be serving the public this summer.
Ends/Monday, January 19, 2004
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