XCC(69)29
CONFIDENTIAL
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Ordinance (Chapter 243), which empowers the Director of Immigration to prohibit from landing in Hong Kong any immigrant who "being a person required to be in possession of a valid travel document is not in possession of such document".
12
The requirements which must be met before a travel document is regarded as valid for the purpose of the Ordinance are set out in section 20. If the entry of Commonwealth immigrants is to be controlled by a visa system, a small amendment to this section will be necessary because paragraph (iv) of subsection (1) in its present form reflects the policy that visas are required only in the case of alien immigrants.
13
The Director of Immigration has power, under section 11(1)(b) and (c) of the Immigration (Control and Offences) Ordinance to refuse entry to a person "who is unable to show that he has the means of decently supporting himself and his de pendants, if any, until he obtains a livelihood"; or a person "likely to become a vagrant, beggar or a charge upon any public or private charitable institution". He would continue to exercise these and the other powers in section 11 in respect of Commonwealth immigrants who arrive with visas.
14
There is, however, a difficulty in relation to Pakistanis, many of whom now come to Hong Kong via the border at Lowu, having travelled from Fakistan to Canton by Pakistan International Airlines. It will not be possible, without causing an unacceptable incident, to stop them from crossing into Hong Kong, but it is proposed that they should (technically) be refused permission to land. Those who do not qualify for entry under the policy now proposed would be expelled and repatriated to Pakistan at public expense. If this is done for a short period (prior warning would, of course, be given), it is probable that the channel of entry via Lowu will cease to be used, at least on the present scale.
Tourists
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The system of applying for visas in advance will not apply to tourists. It is proposed that "visaless visits" be allowed for all Commonwealth visitors not intending to remain here for over three months. If such persons, having arrived here possess a useful skill or knowledge and are able to obtain work, permission would be given to them to remain here. On the other hand, if unskilled labourers successfully posing as tourists are allowed to enter the Colony and then fail to leave the Colony within three months their presence should be detected from the Immigration Department traffic index and endeavour then made to find them and to expel them.
CONFIDENTIAL