The Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao,[1][2] colloquially known as the One-way Permit,[2][3] is a travel document issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China. This passport-size document is issued for its bearers, Chinese citizens residing in the mainland with relatives in Hong Kong or Macau, to proceed to the special administrative regions for residency.[4][5]
| Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao 前往港澳通行证 | |
|---|---|
 Biodata page | |
| Type | Travel document |
| Issued by | China |
| First issued | 1982 |
| One-way Permit | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 前往港澳通行證 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 前往港澳通行证 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| One-way Permit | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 單程證 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 单程证 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
History
editThe British Hong Kong government implemented the Touch Base Policy, which confer all mainland residents who arrived in Hong Kong the legal Hong Kong resident status. As the number of immigrants increased, the British Hong Kong government decided to change the policy and control immigration.[6][7]
In 1982, in order to control the border, the British Hong Kong government reached an agreement with the Chinese government, stipulating that mainland residents coming to Hong Kong for residency must hold a one-way permit issued by the Chinese government, with a quota of 75 per day.[8] In 1995, the one-way permit daily quota was raised to 150.[9] This quota cap remains in effect today.[10]
Selected statistics
edit| Year | No. of bearers | Bearers 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 |
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.[12]
Controversy
editAlthough the permit is specifically for the purpose of family reunion, not for general immigration,[13] 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.[14] 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.[15][16] 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.[16][17]
See also
edit- Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau: The permit issued to Mainland Chinese residents visiting Hong Kong and Macau temporary.
- Home Return Permit
- Taiwan Compatriot Entry Permit
References
edit- ^ "First entry of holders of a Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao". Macao SAR Government Portal. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ a b "LCQ13: Persons holding Two-way Exit Permit with endorsement for visiting relatives". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Right of Abode | Immigration Department". www.immd.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "前往港澳通行证签发服务指南". National Immigration Administration. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Press Releases — LCQ17: One-way Permit Archived 26 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Government Information Centre, Hong Kong.
- ^ "入境事務處六十周年紀念特刊". Immigration Department. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "粤港边界30年：1978年上万人涌向深圳等待逃港_资讯_凤凰网". news.ifeng.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Hong Kong doctors join localist protest against one-way permit scheme, as mainland migrant influx blamed for stretched hospitals". Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Paul Yip, Mainland migrants are needed in Hong Kong. The city should not scrap the one-way permit scheme, but improve it Archived 7 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine SCMP
- ^ "卓孝业：持单程证抵港人数去年平均每日112人 贴近疫情前水平 - RTHK". news.rthk.hk (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Home Affairs Department - Public Services - Services for the New Arrivals from The Mainland - Questionnaire Survey". www.had.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Number of mainlanders moving to Hong Kong drops by almost 15,000". South China Morning Post. 15 August 2018. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "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= - ^ "LCQ2: One-way permit scheme". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Hung, Ho-fung. "Three Views of Local Consciousness in Hong Kong" Archived 24 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12; Issue 44, No. 1; 3 November 2014.
- ^ Lee, Martin (29 September 2012). "香港西藏化" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Next Magazine.