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Thursday, March 23, 1972
A person who is in the Colony when the immigration controls are
introduced will not be affected, if he visits Macao. If, however, he
intends to travel elsewhere overseas, he should apply to the Immigration
Department for an endorsement on his travel document to facilitate his
return to the Colony. Otherwise, a limitation of stay will be imposed
on his return to the Colony pending consideration of his application for
an endorsement of his right to enter Hong Kong.
Mr. Collard said that an immigration officer will have power to
impose a limit of stay and other conditions of stay on granting permission
to land to an immigrant. The Director of Immigration may at any time cancel
or vary a condition of stay, except that the power to shorten the period
for which a person is allowed to stay is reserved to the Governor.
Empowered To Examine
Under the Immigration Ordinance 1971, an immigration officer is
empowered to examine any person on his arrival in or prior to his departure
from Hong Kong and to examine at any time a person whom he believes to have
landed illegally or to be in breach of a condition of stay.
It also confers on an immigration officer a general discretion to
grant or refuse permission to land to an immigrant upon his examination,
as is usual in most countries.
On the question of proof of residence, Mr. Collard said that an
applicant will usually be the best judge of what proof to produce to show that
he has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of at least
seven years, and that each case will need to be examined on its merits.
Generally, however, he added, an application could be dealt with
much more easily if documents are produced to show that the applicant has
established a home in Hong Kong, or has been employed or educated here, for
seven years.
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