One-way Permit

Summary

A People's Republic of China Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao, or One-way Permit, 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]

People's Republic of China Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao
Biodata page
TypeTravel document
Issued byChina
First issuedc. 1980s
One-way Permit
Traditional Chinese中華人民共和國前往港澳通行證
Simplified Chinese中华人民共和国前往港澳通行证
One-way Permit
Traditional Chinese單程證
Simplified Chinese单程证

The scheme was introduced in 1980s.[2] The travel restriction was needed to prevent large volumes of people coming to Hong Kong or Macau and preventing illegal immigration.[3]

Citizen rights edit

When settling to Hong Kong or Macau, the household registration in the mainland is relinquished, however, a person needs to reside in the SAR for 7 years for the permanent resident status, which grants citizenship rights. Therefore, before the person can acquire permanent resident status, he/she is effectively a second-class citizen in the SAR, without citizen rights (e.g. getting a passport) in both mainland China and the SAR.[original research?]

Selected statistics on One-way Permit Holders (OWPHs) edit

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 38338 31423 16412 32
2016 57387 47358 -2487 32
2017 46971 38740 7779 32
2018 42331 35002 12569 33
2019 39060 31358 15690 32
2020 10134 7974 44766 32
2021 17919 14026 36831 31

[4]

As of the end of 2016, approximately 950,000 mainland migrants came from the program, representing about 12.8% of Hong Kong's total population.[5]

Controversy edit

Although the permit is specifically for the purpose of family reunion, not for general immigration,[6] 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.[7] 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.[8][9] Martin Lee said that the policy is part of the CPC's strategy of long-run "Tibetisation" of Hong Kong, aimed at marginalising Hong Kong people and their core values over time.[9][10]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Press Releases — LCQ17: One-way Permit, Government Information Centre, Hong Kong.
  2. ^ Hong Kong doctors join localist protest against one-way permit scheme, as mainland migrant influx blamed for stretched hospitals
  3. ^ Arrangement for Entry to Hong Kong from Mainland China Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Immigration Department, Hong Kong.
  4. ^ "Home Affairs Department - Public Services - Services for the New Arrivals from The Mainland - Questionnaire Survey". www.had.gov.hk. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Number of mainlanders moving to Hong Kong drops by almost 15,000". South China Morning Post. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  6. ^ "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" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  7. ^ "LCQ2: One-way permit scheme". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  8. ^ 程翔, 從十八大看香港地下黨規模 Archived 24 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Sina Corporation. Ming Pao, 7 November 2012.
  9. ^ a b Hung, Ho-fung. "Three Views of Local Consciousness in Hong Kong". The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12; Issue 44, No. 1; 3 November 2014.
  10. ^ Lee, Martin (29 September 2012). "香港西藏化". Next Magazine.