11
Immigration and Tourism
NEARLY 10 million people passed through immigration control as they entered or left Hong Kong during 1975. About 60 per cent of the traffic comprised local residents, with most of the remainder being tourists. Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world where the number of people coming and going is more than double the population.
For this large volume of traffic, travel formalities are handled by the Immigra- tion Department with a staff of 1,130, including 700 uniformed officers. In 1975 the department also bore the main responsibility for nearly 4,000 refugees from Vietnam.
Immigration
The Immigration Department's work falls into four divisions: the control of people moving in and out of Hong Kong; the issue of travel documents to local residents; the issue of visas and entry certificates on behalf of Britain and Common- wealth countries without their own visa offices in Hong Kong; and naturalisation and registration under the British Nationality Acts.
The 9,264,429 people who passed through immigration control points in 1975 were recorded at: Kai Tak airport, 3,596,387; the Sino-British border, 1,556,411; the Macau ferry terminal, 4,084,257; and harbour control, 27,374. —
Hong Kong residents are becoming increasingly travel-minded, and about three in every four adults hold valid travel documents—a high proportion by any standards. They number about 2,120,000, comprising: 270,000 Hong Kong British passports; 310,000 Hong Kong certificates of identity; 40,000 seaman's travel documents; and 1,500,000 re-entry permits for residents travelling to China and Macau. The issue of travel documents on this scale brings almost every family into contact with the Immigration Department and strenuous efforts have been made to improve the qual- ity of the service offered to local residents.
Hong Kong's growth as a commercial and industrial centre, and its relatively high standard of living, has led to many people from other countries wanting to live in Hong Kong. War and instability elsewhere in the region have reinforced this trend. Apart from United Kingdom belongers, who are covered by special arrangements, everyone wishing to live in Hong Kong requires the prior permission of the Director of Immigration, who administers a comprehensive system of visas for study, residence or employment. In 1975 there were 34,166 applications for visas or visa extensions. Visas to study or take up residence in Hong Kong are strictly controlled in order not to add to the already great pressures on housing, education and other community services. Special consideration is given, however, to families having links with Hong
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