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Home > Publications and Press Releases > Press Releases > Immigration Department Review 2004 Publications and Press Releases Immigration Department Review 2004 28 January 2005 Immigration Department Review 2004
1. In the year under review, 195.56 million passengers and cross boundary vehicles passed through our control points, up 17.72% from 166.13 million in 2003. 2. Lo Wu remained the busiest control point. The average daily volume stood at about 245 000. The highest figure of 396 532 was recorded on April 3, 2004 (Saturday), the day before Ching Ming festival. 3. Overnight traffic at Lok Ma Chau has been increasing steadily. On average about 12 000 movements were recorded from midnight to 6.30am in 2004. A record high of 18 983 passengers was hit on August 1, 2004 (Sunday). 4. The number of through-trains between Hong Kong and Guangzhou has increased from 10 pairs to 12 pairs per day since April 18, 2004. Together with the through-trains to Beijing and Shanghai on alternate days, there are now 26 runs of through-trains per day. The daily average of passenger traffic at Hung Hom control point in 2004 was 8 257, an increase of 37.6% when compared with last year. 5. Passenger traffic at air and sea control points also soared to 24.2 million and 21.4 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 28% and 15.1% respectively. 6. The Individual Visit Scheme, introduced on July 28, 2003, was initially open to residents of four Mainland cities. The scheme was extended in phases to a total of 32 cities by mid 2004. Up to the end of 2004, the total number of individual visitors from the Mainland reached 4.93 million. They accounted for 35.2% of Mainland visitors.
Automated Passenger Clearance and Automated Vehicle Clearance Projects 7. The Automated Passenger Clearance (APC) and Automated Vehicle Clearance (AVC) systems aim to revolutionise the immigration clearance processes at control points by leveraging the smart identity card and biometrics verification technologies with a view to enhancing the overall passenger and vehicle throughput. These systems support self-service immigration clearance for smart identity card holders. 8. Three auto-gates, alternatively known as e-channels, have been rolled out at the Lo Wu control point since December 16, 2004. About 270 e-channels will be installed at control points by phases and the project is targeted for completion in mid 2006. Visit of Macao Permanent Residents Made Easy 9. With effect from October 18, 2004, Macao permanent residents may visit Hong Kong by producing their Macao Smart Permanent Identity Card (MSPIC) together with a "Declaration Form for Holders of Macao Special Administrative Region Permanent Resident Identity Card to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" issued by the Macao authorities. This arrangement obviates the need for holders of MSPIC to apply for a travel document. Frequent Visitor Channel 10. The "Frequent Visitor Channel" (FVC) has been established as a regular facility at the Arrivals South Hall of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) since August 2004. Passengers who have visited Hong Kong via the HKIA three or more times in the preceding 12 months are eligible to use the FVC after obtaining a Frequent Visitor Card from the Hong Kong Airport Authority. Extend Visa-free Period 11. To facilitate visits of foreign nationals, the visa-free period for Argentina and Mexico nationals has been extended from 30 days to 90 days. Expanded Departure Hall at Lo Wu 12. Under the improvement programme completed in September 2004, an extra 1 100 square metres of space has been made available as queuing area and for accommodating 14 additional counters. The expanded eastern departure hall is now mainly deployed for the clearance of Mainland visitors. Additional Kiosks at Lok Ma Chau 13. To meet the heavy and fast-growing vehicular traffic at Lok Ma Chau control point, four additional northbound private car kiosks were constructed and put into operation from October 12, 2004. Construction of an additional four southbound private car kiosks is targeted for completion by June 2005. Establishment of Tactical Squad 14. An additional 161 posts have been created for the boundary control points to cope with the increases in traffic. With the provision of additional manpower as well as internal redeployment of resources, a "Tactical Squad" with strength of 88 officers has been set up. Apart from enhancing passenger clearance capacity at Lo Wu, members of the squad will also be deployed to assist in enforcement operations against immigration offenders. Progress of New Boundary Crossing Facilities Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor & Co-location Arrangement 15. Construction works of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, which began in August 2003, are proceeding in full swing. To facilitate the 'Co-location of Boundary Crossing Facilities', a new control point providing cross-boundary services to both passengers and vehicles will be built on the Shenzhen side. The new control point is planned to operate round-the-clock. We are already at the detailed design stage of the control point, which is targeted for completion in July 2006. 16. The new mode of operation will bring a more convenient and efficient service to the public. Coach passengers will present for both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen departure and arrival clearance at the same passenger terminal building. Spur Line from Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau 17. To tie in with the commencement of the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line by mid 2007, a new boundary control point will be set up at the Lok Ma Chau Terminus. A Public Transport Interchange, for access by other means of transport, will also be built next to the terminus. The detailed design work is in active progress.
18. The department's Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit works closely with the Security Bureau, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in HKSAR, Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions overseas and the Office of the HKSAR Government in Beijing in providing practical assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong. In 2004, 5 648 requests were handled. Traffic Accident in Taiwan 19. On October 18, 2004, about 30 Hong Kong residents were involved in a tragic traffic accident in Taiwan. Four immigration officers immediately flew to Taiwan to provide much-needed assistance to our fellow residents. Arrangements were made to get most of those involved back home the day after the accident. The part played by immigration officers was much appreciated by the victims and their relatives, as well as the community at large. Operation Tsunami 20. In the wake of the Tsunami that struck South Asia on December 26, 2004, 85 Immigration officers were in the HKSAR Government Task Force sent to the affected areas to assist Hong Kong residents in distress. Up to January 24, 2005, the Immigration Department's hotline (2829 3010) had received 1 426 requests for assistance. Law Enforcement Anti-Illegal Migration Agency Combats International Crime 21. To strengthen international co-operation in combating illegal migration, the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency (AIM) was established on June 28, 2004. The AIM's mandate is to manage a professional and sophisticated intelligence analysis mechanism that works in synchronisation with its local, Mainland and foreign counterparts for intelligence exchange and for improvising measures against illegal migration activities on a global perspective. 22. Our competency in gathering and analysing intelligence from various channels has been transformed into effective enforcement actions. In 2004, 1 161 illegal migrants and their aiders and abettors were intercepted at the Hong Kong International Airport and 746 were successfully prosecuted. International Sharing Bears Fruits 23. The department actively participated in international conferences to explain our policy and measures as well as to enhance co-operation with our Mainland and foreign counterparts in fighting forgery and illegal migration. In 2004, Immigration officers attended the Combating People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime Senior Officials' Meeting, International Organization of Migration Experts' Working Group Meeting, Pacific Rim Immigration Intelligence Conference, Seminar on Immigration Control, APC Plenary Meeting, etc. 24. Many of the illegal migrants involved people in transit through Hong Kong seeking illegal residence overseas. To counteract this transnational problem, vigilance was maintained at immigration counters and covert operations conducted to intercept the users and suppliers of forged documents. Through the closer co-operation and concerted efforts with counterparts in Mainland and overseas, the number of forged travel documents detected dropped by 18.5% from 3,094 in 2003 to 2,521 in 2004. Operation "STING" Hits Passport Touting 25. Targeting at passport broker syndicates that placed blatant advertisements on newspapers luring Hong Kong residents to sell their HKSAR and BN(O) passports for quick cash, undercover immigration investigators apprehended eight passport brokers and sellers in operation "STING". Five were prosecuted in the District Court in view of the gravity of the crime. Among them, two were sentenced to imprisonment of 26 and 28 months respectively. Legal proceedings on the other three are underway. The operation will continue with a view to eradicating such touting activities. Forgery Syndicate Smashed 26. On November 15, 2004, an operation was mounted against a forgery syndicate, which had been arranging forged documents for Filipinos to facilitate their applications for Japanese visas and their taking up of illegal employment in Japan. 27. During the operation, the mastermind, a Filipino visitor, and two accomplices were apprehended. More than 100 false instruments including forged Hong Kong identity cards, extension labels and immigration stamp facings, forged Philippine passports, stamp facings of other Southeast Asian countries, forged overseas visa labels and Singapore resident cards were unearthed. The Filipino and one of the accomplices have been prosecuted and transferred to the District Court for trial. Operation "CONTRIBUTE" Cracks Illegal Decoration Workers 28. Apart from intensifying law enforcement, the department has stepped up publicity and education against employment of illegal workers. Immigration officers held capacity building seminars and distributed guidelines to owners' corporations and property management companies to enhance their vigilance on illegal employment in household renovation. As a result, 2004 saw a significant decline in activities involving illegal workers taking up decoration work. 29. Through constant briefings to alert safety officers and sub-contractors of construction companies of the security features of identity cards, we aim at preventing illegal workers from seeking employment on construction sites with forged identity cards. Illegal Work and Prostitution Shrink 30. In 2004, Immigration investigators conducted 7 659 operations and arrested 17 102 people comprising 15 727 illegal workers and 1 375 employers. Compared with figures in 2003, the number of operations increased by 33.5% while arrests decreased by 3%. These figures have reflected the effectiveness of our intensified enforcement actions. Joint Departments Enforcement 31. Immigration Department works closely with other members of the Inter-departmental Task Force such as the Police, Security Bureau, Customs and Excise Department, Labour Department, Correctional Services Department, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and other departments concerned to devise specific strategies, co-ordinate joint operations and enhance the gathering of intelligence for taking vigorous enforcement action against illegal workers and visitor prostitutes. New API to Promote High Court Sentencing Guideline 32. In January 2005, the department launched a new Announcement of Public Interest (API) on television and radio to raise public awareness of the serious consequences of illegal employment. 33. As a deterrent measure against illegal employment, the High Court laid down a new sentencing guideline in September 2004, that the employer of an illegal worker should be sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence. The new API highlights the new sentencing guideline and aims to drive home the message that employing relatives or clansmen is not a mitigating factor. The employer should be jailed.
34. The Hong Kong Smart Identity Card Replacement Exercise (the Replacement Exercise) has been making good progress since August 2003, so far covering people born between 1954 and 1969 to apply for new identity cards within specified periods. 35. From September 27, 2004 onwards, cross-boundary drivers have been given the option of applying for new identity cards at any one of the Smart Identity Card Centres before the periods specified for their age groups. This arrangement will enable them to enjoy the convenience of the AVC system, which will be introduced at the vehicular control points in phases from early 2005. 36. For the year 2004, the department has received 1 504 028 applications for Smart identity cards, making a cumulative total of 1 933 543 applications since the implementation of the Replacement Exercise. 37. With the system and actual practices going smoothly, the department has adjusted the Replacement Exercise programme. Taking into account the actual turnout rates, the completion date has been brought forward from June 2007 to March 2007. 38. The revised programme will result in savings of around $36 million on staff costs and overheads in maintaining the nine Smart Identity Card Centres (SIDCCs).
Visa-free Access for HKSAR Passport Holders 39. At present, 133 countries/territories have agreed to grant visa-free access or visa on arrival to HKSAR passport holders, including seven more that were added to the list in 2004. These seven countries are Agrentina, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, Japan, Mexico, Uruguay and Kuwait. The department will continue to lobby more countries for maximum travel convenience for HKSAR passport holders. HKSAR Passport 40. With more and more countries/territories granting visa-free access facilities to HKSAR passport holders, the number of HKSAR passport applications increased substantially in 2004. During the year, 633 688 HKSAR passport applications were received and 586 203 passports were issued, representing an increase of 33% and 39% respectively over 2003. 41. In 2004, 4 948 overseas applications for HKSAR passports and other HKSAR travel documents were made through the Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions (CDCM) and 465 overseas applications were received from the applicants directly by post. In the same period, 5 519 overseas applications were finalised. 42. Up to December 2004, the department had received a total of 3 491 167 HKSAR passport applications and issued 3 145 015 passports. Convenient Appointment Booking Systems 43. With effect from March 17, 2004, members of the public can enjoy the convenience of booking appointments through telephone or internet to submit their applications for travel documents and extension of stay at the six Immigration Branch Offices. Entry of Quality People Capital Investment Entrant Scheme 44. The scheme was launched on October 27, 2003. The response has been encouraging. As at December 31, 2004, 615 applications and 1 009 related dependant applications were received. Their reported personal assets amount to an average of HK$25.9 million per applicant. 45. Of the 615 applicants, 291 applicants who had made the requisite investments and their 523 dependants were given formal approval to reside in Hong Kong while another 120 applicants were given approval-in-principle to enter Hong Kong to procure the required investments. 46. The 291 entrants with formal approval have invested a total of HK$ 2,158.9 m in permissible investment assets, an average of HK$ 7.4 m per entrant, which had exceeded the requisite investment by 14%. We are working on a review of the scheme. Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals 47. The Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals was implemented on July 15, 2003. The scheme can better meet the needs of the Hong Kong economy than those schemes it replaced (viz. the Admission of Talents Scheme and the Admission of Mainland Professionals Scheme) and has attracted a wider variety of qualified talents and professionals to come to work in Hong Kong. In 2004, 3 745 applications received under the scheme were approved.
Entry / Exit Processing and Records System 48. In order to cope with spiralling passenger traffic and cater for burgeoning number of control points, the computer system underpinning immigration clearance at control points was replaced in June 2004. 49. The replacement system has deployed new equipment/devices such as the full-page document reader and personal digital assistant (PDA) for improvement of services. Capable of capturing the image of the data page of travel documents, the new reader facilitates counter officers' clearance work as well as investigators' enforcement actions. With the PDA, passengers requiring secondary examinations can be dealt with more expeditiously. Application and Investigation Easy System and Electronic Records Programme 50. With funds approved by the Finance Committee, the department has embarked on the development of a new system, the Application and Investigation Easy System that will enable business transactions to be conducted digitally in a paperless environment. The system will be supported by electronic records enabled through a conversion exercise for historical records. The tendering process for the implementation service is underway and the contracts will be awarded in early 2005. We aim to implement the two projects by phases from May to December 2006.
51. We scored seven awards for information technology and customer service. The awards signify public recognition of our efforts in striving for service excellence. Grand Award of the Implementation Category of the Card Technology Breakthrough Award 52. We won the Grand Award of the Implementation Category of the Card Technology Breakthrough Award at the 14th Annual Conference and Exhibition on Card Technology and Security Technology held in the USA on April 27, 2004, in recognition of the successful implementation of the Smart Identity Card System (SMARTICS). 53. The system was acknowledged for being the largest identity card project in the world incorporating biometrics and providing an embedded chip with multi-application functions. Gold Award of the Application Category of 6th IT Excellence Awards 54. With the use of sophisticated and state-of-the-art technology, the SMARTICS also won the Gold Award of the Application Category of 6th IT Excellence Awards conferred by the Hong Kong Computer Society on August 27, 2004. Top Prize in the category of e-Government and Services of the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Awards 55. On December 10, 2004, SMARTICS won the top prize of the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Awards 2004 for e-Government & Services. The award was presented for the most innovative project for developing information and communications solutions that supports e Government initiatives and service delivery to the community. Outstanding Customer Service Award of the Civil Service Customer Service Award Scheme 2003/04 56. Our Department was the First Runner-up of the Department Award under the Outstanding Customer Service Award Scheme launched by the Civil Service Bureau. The Airport Division and the Pass and Permit Sub-section won the Second Runner-up of the Team Award on Counter Service and the Merit Award of the Team Award on E-Service respectively. The awards were in recognition of the Department's exemplary and praiseworthy efforts in driving customer service improvement and providing outstanding customer service. Ombudsman Awards 2004 57. Two members of the Department also won The Ombudsman Awards 2004 for Individual Officers in recognition of their efforts of serving the community.
58. 2004 was a year full of challenges. Our commitment in 2005 will not be less. The provision of smooth and efficient services to the travelling public remains one of our major goals. The orderly roll out of e-channels in all passenger terminals is therefore high on the management agenda for attention. We aim to have more than 270 e-channels installed by mid 2006. The Automated Vehicle Clearance system will also be in use by phases starting from the first quarter of 2005. 59. On the international front, we have continued to face up to our responsibility for tackling the clandestine movement of people. Knowing that the fight cannot be won by isolated and unilateral efforts, we have strengthened co-operation with other law enforcement agencies here and abroad to combat illegal migration and document frauds. Our effort in fighting other international crimes and co-operation with Mainland and overseas counterparts will continue. 60. With the reinforcement from the Tactical Squad and through internal redeployment, an "Anti-illegal Workers Combat Squad" (AWCS) will be established to provide for a more speedy and robust combat force against illegal workers and their employers. Its main duties will be to conduct undercover patrol duties at black spots of illegal workers and to take immediate actions on reports of illegal workers. 61. To step up the integrity and security control of passports internationally, HKSAR biometric passports, embedded with a contactless integrated circuit chip containing the facial image and personal information of the holder, will be introduced in early 2007. When funds are obtained we will embark on the passport design in line with specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for production. 62. Subject to legislative amendment, it is aimed that Appointment of Civil Celebrants can be implemented by the end of 2005. By then, Registrar of Marriages will be empowered to appoint suitable people as civil celebrants to solemnise marriages at places other than the existing marriage registries and the licensed places of public worship. 63. While we strive for continuous improvement on all fronts, we are fully aware of the importance of staff training to sustain the provisions of quality service. The Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development, a purpose-built 13-storey training complex, will be commissioned in mid 2005. The new institute will help to upgrade our staff training and development for coping with various challenges facing the department. Key Statistics
Smart ID Card Centres / Immigration Offices / Control Points
Notes: # including Immigration & Registration of Persons-Fo Tan Office and Passenger & Vehicular Traffic
Breakdown on Mainland Bound Traffic :
Note: Figure in ( ) denotes % increase/decrease in comparison with figure in 2003 Visas & Permits
Documents & Registrations
Note: Figure in ( ) denotes % increase/decrease in comparison with figure in 2003 Hong Kong Identity Cards
Note: Figure in ( ) denotes % decrease in comparison with figure in 2003 Smart Identity Card Centres
* Figure in ( ) denotes % increase/decrease in comparison with figure in 2003 (The Replacement Exercise commenced on August 18, 2003)
Note: Figure in ( ) denotes % increase/decrease in comparison with figure in 2003 |
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