Management and Support Branch
Under the charge of an Assistant Director, the Management and Support Branch comprises the Service Management Division and the Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development, each headed by a Principal Immigration Officer.
The Service Management Division deals with matters relating to public relations, staff welfare, discipline of about 5,554 service staff, as well as conducts management audit and reviews complaints from the public. The Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development is responsible for the recruitment, training, deployment and career development of service staff.
Departmental Management Division
The Departmental Management Division is put under the charge of a Principal Executive Officer who is directly responsible to the Deputy Director for matters on personnel management, establishment control, finance, supplies and general administration of the Department.
Recruitment Exercise
The Department recruited 38 Immigration Officers and 136 Immigration Assistants in 2014. To meet the demand on manpower resources arising from new initiatives and to maintain our quality service to the public, new rounds of recruitment exercises were launched in February and April 2014 for Immigration Assistant and Immigration Officer posts respectively. Induction training for the successful candidates of the Immigration Assistant recruitment exercise commenced in July 2014. They have joined the workforce by phases from November 2014. The selection procedures of the Immigration Officer recruitment exercise will complete in early 2015. Successful candidates will be arranged to commence their induction training by batches.
The Department participated in the Education & Careers Expo held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in February 2014, introducing our recruitment activities to the public and promoting the professional image of the Department. We also organised career talks at tertiary institutions, professional education institutes and schools of continuing studies with a view to attracting persons with high calibre to join our Department.
Career Development
We have strong belief that a professional and effective workforce relies on the excellent performance and service contributed by each staff member. The Career Development Sub-division of the Management and Support Branch strives to formulate strategic plans on career development of Immigration Service Grade staff through organising recruitment activities, making strategic staff posting arrangements, managing staff performance, and identifying training needs for all service staff. The Career Development Sub-division also reviews the overall staff deployment plan to meet the operational needs.
Training
Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development
The Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development (ISITD) is responsible for ascertaining training needs, formulating the annual training and development plan, implementing training activities and evaluating the effectiveness of training programmes. It provides in-service and induction training as well as learning resources to Immigration Service staff to ensure that service staff at different levels are equipped with the necessary skills to meet challenges and promotes the culture of life-long learning in the Department.
ISITD is a 13-storey purpose-built complex that houses a variety of training facilities as well as residential facilities. Generic facilities include drill ground, classrooms, lecture theatre, indoor swimming pool, Learning Resource Centre, Information Resources Centre, obstacle training ground, physical fitness centre and gymnasium with elevated running tracks. Specific training facilities such as Entry / Exit Processing and Records System (EXPRESS) Training Centre, Automated Passenger and Vehicle Clearance (APVC) Training Centre, video recording interview rooms and mock court are set up to cater for job-related training in a mock environment. ISITD also provides residential facilities to trainees to help cultivate a sense of discipline and to boost esprit de corps. In addition, the Training Gallery at ISITD aims at providing better knowledge on the work and historical development of the Department.
ISITD serves to equip service staff with professional knowledge and skills to serve the community. ISITD keeps enhancing the induction and in-service training so as to keep pace with the Department's latest developments. ISITD also actively collaborates with the Mainland and overseas counterparts in organising exchange programmes. To promote continuous learning and enhance personal development, the Department sponsors staff to undertake study programmes at different areas and levels provided by other government departments or outside organisations.
Induction Training
ISITD conducts two major categories of training: induction training and in-service training. Induction training aims to equip new recruits with the necessary skills and knowledge that they require in performing their duties. The duration of the induction course for Immigration Assistant is 14 weeks, whereas that for Immigration Officer is 25 weeks. The training curriculum is a combination of theories and practices, covering areas of laws, immigration policies and procedures, as well as the functions and organisation of the Department. Particular emphasis is placed on nourishing a strong sense of discipline and developing commitment to serve the community effectively and efficiently. Other training includes foot drill, tactical training, physical fitness, swimming, first aid, etc. During the training, the management and leadership skills of Immigration Officers are further strengthened through management workshops, supervision exercises and leadership training camps.
In 2014, 38 Immigration Officers and 136 Immigration Assistants completed induction training at ISITD.
In-service Training
In 2014, ISITD organised various in-service training courses for 1,142 officers at different ranks to sharpen their minds and skills. To equip our middle managerial staff with knowledge and skills on handling the media and to develop a deeper understanding of the current media environment as well as to establish a more effective communication channel, a new series of Media Training Workshop was held. A total of 213 officers have taken part in the workshop.
In 2014, ISITD organised a series of seminar on Detention Power and Introduction to the Unified Screening Mechanism (USM). The seminar focused on the appropriate exercise of detention power under the Immigration Ordinance and the Immigration Service Ordinance from civil law perspective. It also gave a general introduction to the USM for claims for non-refoulement protection. A total of 142 officers at different ranks have taken part in the seminar.
Specific courses on EXPRESS and APVC systems are conducted for service staff of control points. In 2014, a total of 324 officers and supervisors working in control points attended these courses.
Other Training
To tie in with the 'Care and Cohesion' value of the Department and enhance mutual communication between the management and frontline staff, ISITD collaborated with the Service Management Division to run a series of Workplace Visits. The activity established an effective platform for our colleagues to share experience on various topics, including effective communication skills and appraisal writing techniques. In 2014, seven control points were visited three times each with the participation of 1,013 colleagues in total.
To better understand emotional wellness and resilience building, ISITD also organised Workshop on Building Resilience - Enhancing Emotional Wellness for frontline staff so as to achieve work-life balance. In the year, a total of 24 officers attended the workshop.
ISITD also arranges officers to attend training courses in other areas organised by other departments, organisations and institutes. These include management, language, communication and national studies courses organised by the Civil Service Training and Development Institute of the Civil Service Bureau; a workshop of New Zealand’s and Australia's Experience in Assessing Protection Claims which jointly held with the Security Bureau; Command Courses and Criminal Investigation Courses organised by the Hong Kong Police Force; and Tactical Training organised by the Correctional Services Department.
To enhance safety measures in the office and that of the public, ISITD arranged a total of 245 and 33 officers to attend the Basic First Aid Course and the Refresher First Aid Course respectively organised by the Auxiliary Medical Service.
Overseas Training and Exchange Programme
Human resources development is essential for a healthy and sustainable organisation. To prepare staff to cope with challenges, ISITD continues to arrange staff to attend various overseas training and exchange programmes with the relevant overseas law enforcement agencies with a view to broadening their global horizons, enhancing their knowledge and expertise, and developing their management skills, leadership and potential. In 2014, the Department arranged 23 officers to attend various exchange programmes and overseas courses on management, development and investigation techniques.
Mainland Training and Exchange Programme
Liaison and contact between the Department and the relevant Mainland authorities have become more frequent. In order to broaden our officers’ horizons, develop a better understanding of the legal systems and social developments in the Mainland and foster a good working relationship with the Mainland counterparts, ISITD arranged 205 officers of different ranks to attend the training and exchange programmes in the Mainland in 2014.
During the year, 8 delegations with a total of 168 Mainland officials attended different exchange programmes at ISITD. Through these exchange programmes, the communication and working relationship between the Mainland counterparts and the Department were further enhanced.
Customer Service Training Workshop
To enhance communication skills and esprit de corps, customer service training workshops and related training seminars were conducted for 486 officers of the ranks from Immigration Assistant to Senior Immigration Officer in 2014.
Tactical Training
Training courses on the proper use of different types of self-defence equipment including Blackman Suit, field dress, anti-riot helmet, anti-riot shield, handcuffs, extendible baton and oleoresin capsicum foam (pepper spray) were provided to 358 staff in 2014. Besides, ISITD conducted a series of Briefing Sessions on Tactical Training at different control points and investigation sections to enhance the awareness of our colleagues on resistance control and escort safety. A total of 145 colleagues attended the briefing sessions in 2014.
Team Building Programme
To boost the esprit de corps of the frontline working teams at various immigration control points and foster mutual understanding, trust and support among team members and supervisors, ISITD continued to conduct a two-day Team Building Programme for Frontline Staff in 2014. During the programme, senior officers at managerial level of respective divisions were invited to visit the participants to further strengthen the sense of belonging and promote caring and supportive culture. In the year, a total of 131 officers of ranks from Senior Immigration Assistant to Immigration Officer attended the programme.
e-Learning and ISITD Homepage
To promote life-long learning and to better prepare our staff for new challenges, ISITD has provided various e-learning programmes to our staff in the ISITD Homepage on the Department’s Intranet. At the same time, ISITD has worked together with the Civil Service Bureau since May 2010 to launch e-learning programmes via the e-Learning Platform on the Cyber Learning Centre Plus. Through these two platforms, staff can learn according to their own pace and schedule.
Besides, staff can borrow books of the Learning Resource Centre, browse the videos and photographs of training activities and gain access to useful reference materials through the ISITD Homepage on the Department’s Intranet.
Youth Training
The Department actively participates in youth training programmes. In 2014, ISITD and the Education Bureau collaboratively organised Smart Teen Challenge Camp for a total of 88 junior secondary school students. This five-day residential training camp aims to boost the self-confidence, self-discipline, esprit de corps as well as sense of discipline of the students.
The Department also launched a new youth training programme, namely Immigration Department Youth Leaders, this year. It aimed at providing disciplinary and leadership training to students of Secondary 4 to Secondary 6 so as to foster their positive values, to encourage them to serve the society and to widen their horizons.
Teachers’ Training Camp
Since 2006, the Department has been collaborating with the Education Bureau to organise a training camp for teachers of secondary schools. The two-day residential training aims to widen the horizon of teachers in discipline training with a view to aiding the development of their education work. In 2014, 21 teachers from different secondary schools participated in the camp.
Guide on Conduct and Discipline
Apart from job-related training, equipping staff with high standard of integrity is of equal importance. To allow immigration staff to keep abreast of the up-to-date ethical guidelines on civil servants, the Guide on Conduct and Discipline (the Guide) was uploaded onto the Department’s Intranet. The Guide lists out real-life examples regarding conflict of interest and personal conduct. It also emphasises the role of supervisor in terms of accountability and managing conflict of interest. All immigration staff should adhere to the core values stated in the Guide in order to uphold the highest standard of integrity and to enhance the quality and efficiency of services provided to the community.
Welfare and Recreation
The Department attaches great importance to maintaining a close dialogue with staff in order to improve staff welfare and relations and to strengthen staff’s esprit de corps as well as commitment. There are various channels of consultation and communication between staff and the management. These include formal committees, informal meetings and group discussions, welfare visits, newsletters, etc. At the same time, various sports and recreational activities are organised to deepen mutual understanding and trust between staff and the management. Staff are encouraged to offer suggestions on improving their working environment and quality of service, which are dealt with seriously and expeditiously.
Immigration Department Consultative Committee
The Immigration Department Consultative Committee is a formal consultative forum between the staff and the management. It aims at achieving better understanding and co-operation of both sides on matters affecting the well-being of the staff such as conditions of service, quarters, training, promotion and career development. The committee meets quarterly and is chaired by the Assistant Director (Management and Support). The official side comprises 6 members, while the staff side comprises 20 members being representatives from the Officer, Rank and File and different civilian grades. A representative from the Civil Service Bureau also attends the meetings of the committee.
Welfare Visits and Counselling Service
Apart from formal and informal meetings between the staff and the management, welfare officers of the Department pay regular visits to staff at places of work with a view to understanding their concerns and feelings. To enhance communication with frontline staff and strengthen esprit de corps among staff, the Frontline Supporting Team (the Team) was formed in July 2007 under the Welfare Section to conduct frequent welfare visits to frontline service staff with a view to sharing views on work-related issues and being a channel to relay their requests. Since its establishment and up to 31 December 2014, the Team paid 189 visits to various frontline sections and offices.
Hospital visits and home visits are paid to staff who are ill or injured and those who need after-care assistance. In 2014, 178 consolation enquiries and 36 hospital and home visits were made.
Welfare officers also conduct personal interviews with officers who feel stressed due to work pressure or personal problems and provide them with counselling service or assistance. In 2014, 10 interviews were conducted.
Immigration Wellness Service Centre
In order to render extensive support for the mental health of our staff and provide immediate counselling service to the staff in need, the Immigration Wellness Service Centre (the Centre) was set up in March 2008 and a Clinical Psychologist was employed. The Clinical Psychologist provides professional counselling services to help staff manage pressure arising from their work and life positively. Moreover, the Clinical Psychologist also assists the management in formulating and implementing departmental promotion programmes, such as 'Stress Management' and 'Introduction to Mental Illness' for the psychological well-being and mental health of staff. By 31 December 2014, the Centre had provided 1,484 times of counselling service and 265 workshops.
In addition, the Centre also develops psychological wellness and related health promotion programmes to all staff members for fostering a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Prominent speakers are invited from time to time to deliver health talks on various topics to all staff members to arouse their health consciousness. By 31 December 2014, the Centre had organised 35 health talks for our staff.
A Peer Support Network (the Network) was built in 2008 to enhance peer support among staff within the workplace. At present, more than 300 disciplined and civilian staff have enrolled as peer counsellors under the Network and they are all equipped with training in basic counselling skills and introduction to mental health. The Centre will continue to provide suitable courses for the peer counsellors to enhance their counselling skills and invite more staff to join the Network.
With the assistance of the Clinical Psychologist, the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team was set up in 2009 to equip officers with the psychological qualities to protect themselves from the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in handling tragic and critical incidents while offering psychological first-aid to other victims. Professional CISM training course with certificates awarded by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation was provided to the team members.
Immigration Department Staff Club
Sports and recreational activities are organised by the Immigration Department Staff Club round the year to promote a healthy lifestyle among the staff and their families, enhance understanding among staff and to boost esprit de corps. With the support of the Sports and Recreation Team of the Welfare Section, a wide range of sports activities including Dragon Boat races, ball games, Sports Day, Swimming Gala, 7-km Long Distance Run, Yoga and Funky Jazz classes were arranged for the staff in 2014. Other recreational programmes such as hiking, summer cruises, family outings, Christmas Children's Party, Annual Dinner, Departmental Karaoke Competition and Chinese New Year gathering organised during the year were all welcomed by the staff and their families.
With the support of the Immigration Department Staff Club, representatives from the Departmental Sports Teams won the championship in several disciplined services tournaments and open competitions in 2014, including events in touch rugby, beach touch rugby and rowing. In addition, the Immigration Department Staff Club appointed 15 officers as the team managers of the Departmental Sports Teams in December 2014 to promote the sustainability of the teams and esprit de corps of the Department.
To promote volunteer social service among the staff, the Immigration Department Volunteer Work Team was set up under the wings of the Immigration Department Staff Club in June 2002. With over 600 members by the end of December 2014, the team provided a wide range of community services and actively participated in various charity events, such as the yearly 'Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics', 'Lifeline Express Charity Run' and 'Oxfam Trailwalker'. In 2014, the team contributed a total of 10,264 hours of volunteer service to the community and was awarded the Gold Award for Volunteer Service from the Volunteer-in-Chief and the Director of Social Welfare. Meanwhile, the Immigration Department Staff Club appointed an officer as the manager of the Volunteer Work Team in December 2014 to lead the team in its on-going work to serve the community.
The Immigration Service Welfare Fund
The Immigration Service Welfare Fund is established under the Immigration Service Ordinance for the purposes of procuring benefits and granting loans to members or former members of the Immigration Service. The fund also provides grants to dependants who need financial assistance for funeral expenses in respect of any deceased member or deceased former member of the Immigration Service.
In 2014, $1,034,370 was spent on welfare equipment, consolation gifts, sports, recreational activities, etc.
Management Audit
In 2014, the Management Audit Section under the line management of the Service Management Division paid a number of visits to various control points and offices to ensure that relevant immigration policies, application procedures and administration rules had been properly followed, and to make recommendations on areas where the quality of work and customer services could be further improved.
The Customer Services Unit of the Management Audit Section receives, monitors and reviews complaints from the public. All investigated complaints are further analysed by the Complaints Review Working Party (Working Party), headed by Assistant Director (Management and Support) with members from the Service Management Division and the Management Audit Section. The Working Party gives advice on whether the complaints are justified and recommends improvements where necessary. In 2014, 11 out of the total 24 complaints were found justified. In the same year, the Department received 3,174 letters of appreciation and notes of thanks.
Awards and Commendations
In 2014, Assistant Director Mr W K Leung, I.M.S.M.was awarded the Hong Kong Immigration Service Medal for Distinguished Service (I.D.S.M.) and four officers were awarded the Hong Kong Immigration Service Medal for Meritorious Service (I.M.S.M.).
Officers who have completed certain years of satisfactory service with exemplary character and good conduct would be awarded medals and clasps. In 2014, 228 officers were awarded the Long Service Medal after 18 years of service; 318 officers were awarded the First Clasp to the Medal after 25 years of service; 74 officers were awarded the Second Clasp to the Medal after 30 years of service and 111 officers were awarded the Third Clasp to the Medal after 33 years of service. On commendation at the departmental level, 14 officers were awarded the Director’s Commendation and 27 officers were awarded the Assistant Director’s Commendation.
Communications and Public Affairs
The Communications and Public Affairs Section is the Department’s news agency which provides the link between the Department and the media. The section is responsible for maintaining effective communication with the mass media, answering media enquiries and drawing up publicity plans to promulgate the Department’s policies. The section, which maintains close relations with outside organisations, is also the Department’s representative in handling public affairs and participating in social functions and activities.
In 2014, the section issued press releases, answered press enquiries, arranged location filming and media briefings on immigration matters, such as measures to handle increasing cross-boundary passenger traffic, expansion of e-Channel service target group (e.g. implementation of automated clearance service on mutual basis with other countries or regions), assisting Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong, implementation of new visa policies or initiatives, enforcement actions against illegal employment and immigration offenders and deterrence of global illegal migration activities and combating forged travel documents, etc.
Information and Liaison
The Information and Liaison Section plays a major role in handling public enquiries regarding the services provided by the Department. The Immigration Enquiry Services System currently employed by the section can centrally process all the enquiries made in person, by phone, e-mail, fax and letter.
To provide better services to the public, the section is dedicated to enhancing the enquiry services system. Currently, the system provides one-stop service by transferring enquiry calls to the Department’s 24-hour Telephone Appointment Booking System and the Telephone Application Status Enquiry System. It also provides information on the current-day walk-in quota of our Immigration Branch Offices, Registration of Persons Offices and certain offices at the Immigration Headquarters. To further facilitate public access to the pre-recorded information provided in the Department’s General Enquiry Hotline, the section has specially designed and printed self-service enquiry information cards for distribution to members of the public, and has also uploaded the self-service call-flow diagram of the General Enquiry Hotline onto the Department’s Homepage for public reference.