The Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao, colloquially known as the One-way Permit, 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.Press Releases — LCQ17: One-way Permit , Government Information Centre, Hong Kong.
History The 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.
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. In 1995, the one-way permit daily quota was raised to 150.Paul Yip, Mainland migrants are needed in Hong Kong. The city should not scrap the one-way permit scheme, but improve it SCMP As of 2024, this quota cap remains in effect.
Selected statistics 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.
Controversy Although the permit is specifically for the purpose of family reunion, not for general immigration, 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. 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 for creating a loyal voter bloc in Hong Kong; those that are not filled by cadres become a graft mechanism for officials.程翔, 從十八大看香港地下黨規模 . Sina Corporation. Ming Pao, 7 November 2012.Hung, Ho-fung. "Three Views of Local Consciousness in Hong Kong" . The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12; Issue 44, No. 1; 3 November 2014. 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.Lee, Martin (29 September 2012). "香港西藏化" . Next Magazine.
See also
Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau: The permit issued to Mainland Chinese residents visiting Hong Kong and Macau temporarily. Home Return Permit Taiwan Compatriot Entry Permit
References