406 Population and Immigration
HKSAR Government exercises immigration controls over entry into, stays in and departure from the HKSAR by people from foreign states and regions. The Basic Law also sets out the regulations for entry into the HKSAR of people from the Mainland.
Apart from controlling the movement of people into and out of the HKSAR, the Immigration Department provides a wide range of services to local residents, including the issuance of HKSAR passports and other travel documents, visas and identity cards, the handling of nationality and residency matters, and the registration of births, deaths and marriages. To enhance these services, the Immigration Department formulated an updated Information System Strategy to take advantage of advanced information technology to enable the department to meet growing public demand for quality service at lower cost and in a more responsive manner.
Where practicable, the department has been conducting business electronically to meet the needs of a fast-moving, fast developing city. The department is also responsible for guarding against the entry of undesirable persons to maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and for facilitating the entry of people from around the world who come and contribute to the development of Hong Kong.
Immigration Control
The HKSAR welcomes visitors and adopts a liberal visa policy. People from about 170 countries and territories can enter the HKSAR visa-free for visits lasting between seven and 180 days. The number of people entering and leaving Hong Kong in 2007 nearly topped the 218 million mark, 7.9 per cent up on the number for 2006. Over 161 million people travelled by land, mostly from the Mainland.
The passenger e-Channels have been introduced in phases at all control points since late 2004 for use by eligible Hong Kong residents holding smart identity cards, and extended to cross-boundary primary school students under the age of 11 in December 2007. Since April 2005, vehicular e-Channels had also been progressively installed at vehicular control points to facilitate eligible cross-boundary drivers to make use of smart identity cards for automated clearance.
Legal Immigration
The Mainland is the major contributor to Hong Kong's immigrant population. During the year, about 34 000 mainlanders joined their families in Hong Kong under the One-way Permit Scheme, which imposes a daily quota of 150.
Right of Abode
Article 24 of the Basic Law states that permanent residents of Hong Kong, regardless of their nationalities, have the right of abode in the HKSAR, and may obtain permanent identity cards.
Certificate of Entitlement Scheme
Under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law, persons of Chinese nationality born outside Hong Kong of Hong Kong permanent residents are entitled to be permanent residents of the HKSAR with right of abode. The Immigration Ordinance stipulates that in order for a person to qualify for the right of abode under Article 24(2)(3) of