XN000022-1993-03-04 — Page 33

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1993

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MORE EMIGRANTS RETURN TO HK

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THE NUMBER OF EMIGRANTS WHO HAVE RETURNED TO HONG KONG HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).

ANNOUNCING THE LATEST STATISTICS ON EMIGRATION, HE LEAST 12 PER CENT OF PERSONS WHO EMIGRATED DURING THE PAST HAD RETURNED SUBSEQUENTLY TO HONG KONG.

SAID AT 10 YEARS

THE FINDING IS DRAWN FROM GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT OVER DIFFERENT PERIODS.

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*A SURVEY IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1992 FOUND THAT THE NUMBER OF RETURNED EMIGRANTS WHO OBTAINED THE RIGHT OF RESIDENCE ABROAD DURING THE YEARS 1982/1991 WAS 43,000," THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

A SIMILAR SURVEY CONDUCTED IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1990, AND COVERING THE YEARS 1980/1989, SHOWED ONLY 24,000 HAD RETURNED.

"COMPARING THE TWO SETS OF FIGURES SUGGESTS THAT THE NUMBER OF RETURNED EMIGRANTS HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS," HE SAID.

THE SPOKESMAN DID CAUTION, HOWEVER, THAT THE FIGURES WERE SUBJECT TO UNDER-REPORTING AND COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TIME OF YEAR AND IN THE SIZE OF THE "POOL" OF EMIGRANTS OUTSIDE HONG KONG WHEN THE TWO SPECIAL ENQUIRIES WERE CONDUCTED.

THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RETURNED EMIGRANTS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A DROP IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR IMMIGRATION VISAS LODGED WITH THE CONSULATES OF SOME OF THE MAJOR DESTINATION COUNTRIES LAST YEAR.

"BUT BECAUSE OF THE BACKLOG WHICH HAS BEEN CARRIED FORWARD FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, THE DROP IS UNLIKELY TO BE REFLECTED IN THE NUMBER OF EMIGRANTS THIS YEAR, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

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HE ADDED THAT AN ESTIMATED 60,000 PEOPLE EMIGRATED FROM HONG KONG IN 1991, WHILE THE PROVISIONAL ESTIMATE FOR 1992 WAS 66,000.

1992

THE 10 PER CENT INCREASE IN THE PROVISIONAL, ESTIMATE FOR OVER THE 1991 FIGURE WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE DEPLOYMENT OF ADDITIONAL RESOURCES BY SOME CONSULATES TO PROCESS VISA APPLICATIONS, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.

"THE FALL IN THE NUMBER OF NEW APPLICATIONS FOR EMIGRATION WILL PROBABLY BEGIN TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON EMIGRATION THIS YEAR," THE SPOKESMAN SAID. HE EXPECTED THE EMIGRATION LEVEL TO DROP BELOW 60,000 THIS YEAR.

VISAS

HE ADDED THAT THE STATISTICS WERE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ISSUED BY THE MAIN DESTINATION COUNTRIES, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE LEAD TIME NEEDED FOR THE VISAS TO BE TAKEN UP BY THE EMIGRANTS.

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