15
Immigration and Tourism
事入
旅務境
遊和
THE main aim of immigration control in Hong Kong is to contain increases in population from immigration to acceptable levels. During 1984, about 27 700 legal immigrants from China settled in Hong Kong. In past years, illegal immigration has been the greatest threat to limiting growth to a reasonable level. In September 1980, the rate of illegal immigration had reached 450 each day. Measures taken since then have greatly improved the situation. These include the abolition of the 'reached base' policy (which allowed illegal immigrants from China who had successfully entered Hong Kong to stay), the enactment of legislation requiring all residents over the age of 15 to carry legal documents of identity at all times, and the gradual introduction of a more secure identity card, backed up by an efficient computer-based record system. In addition, continued efforts have been made by the security forces at the border and in Hong Kong waters, to detect and intercept illegal immigration. During 1984, an average of 26 illegal immigrants a day were arrested while entering. A further eight illegal immigrants who evaded detection on entry were arrested each day during the year.
The illegal immigration of children, often under conditions of great danger and hardship, continued. The numbers reporting to the Immigration Department for permission to stay averaged two per day throughout the greater part of 1984, but rose to nine in the remaining three months. Such illegal immigration poses special problems because children under 11 years of age are not required to register for identity cards and many illegal immigrant children may therefore remain undetected in Hong Kong for long periods. Measures to stamp out this despicable and dangerous practice continue and some of the racketeers have been arrested and punished. There were signs of an improvement towards the close of the year, and every effort will be made to prevent a resurgence.
The work of the Immigration Department falls into two main streams controlling people moving into and out of Hong Kong, and providing travel documents and registration facilities for local residents. The work embraces such diverse fields as the issue of travel documents, visas and identity cards, the processing of applications for naturalisa- tion, and the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Much effort also goes into the detection and prosecution of those who breach the immigration laws and the repatriation of those who are in Hong Kong illegally. Immigration policies are framed to limit permanent population growth, while immigration procedures for Hong Kong residents, tourists and businessmen are streamlined to the maximum extent possible.
Immigration Control
The number of passengers moving into and out of Hong Kong has continued to increase, reaching record levels. Passenger traffic in 1984 totalled some 33.7 million, an increase of 22.1 per cent compared with 27.6 million in 1983. The most dramatic increases were in