11
Immigration and Tourism
THE great majority of visitors to Hong Kong, whether tourists or businessmen, are permitted to enter freely without a visa, and to remain for up to three months in some cases. Visas are, however, required of most persons coming to Hong Kong to reside or take up employment. As in other countries, the number of immigrants has to be restricted in order not to_aggravate the already serious problems caused by overpopulation. Entry for employment or residence is normally only permitted to a person who has some special skill not readily available in Hong Kong, or who is likely to make a substantial contribution to the economy, or who has close family ties in Hong Kong.
These requirements have been applied to aliens for a number of years, but until 1969 they had not generally been applied to_Com- monwealth citizens, who were normally allowed unrestricted entry. During 1969 it was found necessary to introduce controls on the entry of Commonwealth citizens in view of the increasing numbers of unskilled immigrants entering the Colony. Most Commonwealth citizens are now subject to the same controls as aliens, although persons still exempt from the controls include those born in Hong Kong or the United Kingdom, or naturalised or registered as British subjects in Hong Kong or the United Kingdom.
Recorded movements of travellers in 1969 totalled 4,777,182, consisting of 2,393,481 arrivals and 2,383,701 departures, an increase of 19.2 per cent over 1968. The most noticeable increase in traffic continues to be at Kai Tak Airport, where the total number of passengers for 1969 represented an increase of 33.3 per cent over 1968. Travel between Hong Kong and China, and Hong Kong and Macau, also increased, but still remained below the pre-1967 level. It now accounts for only 62.8 per cent of total passenger traffic.
Hong Kong continues to attract more than its share of illegal immigrants not only from China and Macau, but also increasingly
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