ENG-2001 — Page 509

POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION

persons, including those of outstanding talent, professionals and investors who would bring substantial benefits to help develop the economy. Immigration procedures for Hong Kong residents, tourists and business people are streamlined. Effort is also made to prevent the entry of undesirable persons and the departure of persons wanted for criminal offences.

The Immigration Department has implemented a long-term information systems strategy through the application of advanced technology. Immigration officers pay regular visits overseas to maintain close liaison with their counterparts abroad.

Immigration Control

The HKSAR maintains a liberal visa policy for visitors. People from about 170 countries and territories may come to the HKSAR visa-free for visits ranging from seven days to six months. Passenger traffic grew considerably in 2001, with 150 million people moving in and out of the HKSAR, up 4.2 per cent from the 144 million in 2000. The growth was mainly attributable to heavy cross-boundary traffic over land between the HKSAR and the Mainland. In all, 106.6 million land passengers and 11.3 million vehicular movements were recorded for 2001, an increase of 4.8 per cent and 0.9 per cent over the figures of 2000 101.7 million and 11.2 million, respectively.

The number of visitors travelling to the HKSAR also rose from 13.06 million in 2000 to 13.73 million in 2001, up 5.1 per cent. These included 4.45 million from the Mainland and 2.42 million from Taiwan.

Legal Immigration

The Mainland is the major source of the HKSAR's immigrant population. During the year, 53 655 Mainland residents came to settle in the HKSAR under the One-way Permit Scheme which has a daily quota of 150. Most of them came to Hong Kong for family reunion.

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 shall be permanent residents of the HKSAR and enjoy right of abode (ROA). The Immigration Ordinance stipulates that in order for a person to qualify for ROA under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law, at least one of his parents must be a Chinese citizen who has ROA at the time of his birth. The Government introduced the Certificate of Entitlement (C of E) Scheme on July 10, 1997, under which a person's status as a permanent resident of the HKSAR under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law can be established only by his holding a valid travel document (i.e. a One Way Permit) with a valid C of E affixed to it. This arrangement enables systematic verification of ROA claims and ensures orderly entry. Since July 1, 1997, 114 708 C of E holders have entered Hong Kong.

Shortly after the reunification, legal proceedings were instituted by ROA claimants to challenge the 'time-of-birth' requirement in the Immigration Ordinance and the requirement that persons eligible for ROA under BL 24(2)(3) are subject to the exit approval provided for under BL 22(4). This ultimately led to the judgment of the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) given on January 29, 1999. The court ruled, among other things, that the two requirements were unconstitutional.

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