POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION
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Emigration
Emigration has been a feature of life in Hong Kong for over a hundred years. The number of persons leaving Hong Kong increased from an average of 20 000 a year in the early 1980s to 30 000 in 1987 and reached 62 000 in 1990. The estimate for 1991 was 60 000. The reason for the increase was a combination of factors: some people were nervous about Hong Kong's future after the change of sovereignty in 1997, while at the same time there were more immigration opportunities available in the more popular destination countries.
Of the 60 000 persons who emigrated in 1991, 21 000 were in professional, technical, administrative and managerial occupations. To counter the outflow of talent, the government has adopted a threefold strategy: to be more flexible over proposals for im- porting skills from neighbouring countries; to facilitate the return of former migrants, and to increase the number of graduates from Hong Kong's tertiary institutions. To facilitate the recruitment and return of experienced personnel from overseas, the government set up a joint venture company with the Hong Kong Institute of Personnel Management and other private sector interests. The company has a computerised database with information on employment opportunities in Hong Kong and data relating to Hong Kong overseas students, former Hong Kong residents and other people seeking employment here.
The government, with the assistance of other governments, also sought to retain people in Hong Kong through various schemes such as the British Nationality Scheme and the US Deferred Immigrant Visas Scheme. The first phase of the British Nationality Scheme was closed for application on February 28, 1991. A total of 65 763 applications were received. This scheme enables 50 000 persons and their dependants to acquire British citizenship without leaving Hong Kong. The special provision in the US Immigration Act of 1990, which allows the deferred take-up of immigrant visas up to the end of 2001, would enable the beneficiaries to have the confidence to stay and work in Hong Kong in the next 10 years or so.
Legal Immigration
During the year, the number of new arrivals from the mainland remained at about 26 800. Of these, 10113 were wives, 12 513 were children and 1 020 were husbands of local residents.
Illegal Immigration
The legislative amendment introduced in 1990, to make principal contractors in the construction industry responsible for the presence of illegal immigrants on their sites of operation and liable to substantial fines, has had some deterrent effect. During the year, there was a decrease in the number of illegal immigrants arrested. On average, 70 illegal immigrants were arrested each day, compared with 76 in 1990. Most of the illegal immigrants were attracted to Hong Kong by better job opportunities and higher wages. Frequent checks were conducted at likely locations, including construction sites, factories and other places of employment, and illegal immigrants found were prosecuted and sentenced to imprisonment before they were repatriated. Employers of illegal immigrants were also prosecuted and fined, and in serious cases, custodial sentences imposed.
Personal Documentation
During the year, a total of 240 700 passports were issued, a decrease of 22 per cent, inclusive of 98 755 passports issued to persons with the status of British National