ENG-1968 — Page 237

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Immigration and Tourism

FOLLOWING the unprecedented work pressures experienced generally throughout the Immigration Department in 1967, this year has seen some respite, particularly in the demand for travel documents. However, nationality questions are obviously still a matter of some concern to many residents of the Colony, and applications for naturalization, in particular, have been at a high level.

Recorded movements of travellers during 1968 totalled 4,143,396, consisting of 2,078,129 arrivals and 2,065,267 departures. This compares with a total of 3,703,756 in 1967. Contrary to the previous pattern, however, main lines of movement are no longer between Hong Kong and Macau, and Hong Kong and China, but by air by overseas visitors to the Colony. Illegal immigration continues to present a problem, though increased vigilance on both sides of the border have been a factor in keeping numbers down. There continues to be some illegal traffic to the Colony through Macau.

The British and Commonwealth Section and the Naturalization Section again experienced the greatest pressure but this was largely due to the very great backlog of work that had built up during the 1967 disturbances, particularly in respect of applications for naturalization. The Chinese Section was less busy, but as the political and economic stability of Hong Kong was confirmed, so applications from overseas Chinese to be allowed to enter the Colony for permanent stay increased, and there is now a backlog on this work. During the year, the department transferred respon- sibility for Singapore visa and passport work to the Singapore Commissioner's office. The liberalization of the visa-waiver scheme, which was announced last year, brought a noticeable decrease in requests for extension of stay.

The pattern of emigration to the USA, Canada, and to a lesser extent, Britain and elsewhere, continued at a brisk rate, and clearly much of the youth of the Colony is anxious for an education abroad.