TNAG-0801-FCO40-1005-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 90

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BACKGROUND NOTE

IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA TO HONG KONG

F

In November 1974 an agreement was reached between the Hong Kong Government and the authorities of Kwangtung province in China covering the return of illegal immigrants caught entering

Hong Kong. The agreement was necessary because resources in Hong Kong were becoming dangerously over-stretched by the massive influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal: some 56,000 legal immigrants from China arrived in Hong Kong in 1973.

believed to have entered illegally.

Another 30,000 are

2. The Chinese Government are said to grant exit permits to only a small proportion of those seeking them. They give priority to the old and infirm, to those with close relatives living overseas, to overseas Chinese who came to China to avoid persecu- tion and, of course, to those travelling on official business. The Hong Kong Government generally accept as immigrants all those who are granted exit permits, but seek to contain the influx within manageable proportions through informal arrangements. It was considered that adopting the policy of repatriation of illegal immigrants would make China more ready to control the number of legal immigrants.

3.

Under the Hong Kong Government's policy on legal immigration from China only natives of Kwangtung province (Cantonese) are normally granted permanent status on entry, whereas other, non- Cantonese Chinese are usually granted a renewable yearly permit. These qualify for permanent status after 7 years' continuous residence. Between 1 January 1972 and 30 April 1978 a total of 76,500 have been granted permanent residence in Hong Kong. Hong Kong figures show that, from 1975 to 1977, legal immigrants from China came within the following age categories:

О 15 years 34%

16- 25 years

15%

26 - 35 years

18.5%

36

45 years

17%

46

55 years

5.5%

56

65 years

5%

over 65 years

5%

/...

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