ENG-2011 — Page 499

Population and Immigration | 427

Illegal Immigration

The HKSAR keeps a close watch on illegal immigration activities. 1631 Mainland illegal immigrants were arrested during the year, 30 per cent less than in 2010. The number of Vietnamese illegal immigrants arrested was 281, or 25 per cent less than in 2010.

The Immigration Department maintains close liaison with the Mainland and overseas governments on matters relating to population movements and irregular migration. During the year, representatives from the Immigration Department participated in international and regional conferences and workshops held in Indonesia, Samoa and Thailand.

Emigration

The estimated number of emigrants from Hong Kong was 8 300 in 2011, most of whom went to the United States (4 000), Australia (1 700) and Canada (700).

Personal Documentation

Travel Documents

The Immigration Department started issuing HKSAR electronic passports (HKSAR e-Passport) on February 5, 2007. It is embedded with a contactless integrated chip containing the holder's personal data and facial image as the biometric identifiers in accordance with the standards specified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Issuance of the HKSAR passport is controlled strictly by the Immigration Department. The passports are issued only to Hong Kong permanent residents who are Chinese citizens with the right of abode in the HKSAR and who hold valid Hong Kong permanent identity cards.

Eligible applicants aged 11 or above may submit their applications through the internet and applicants aged 18 or above may also submit their applications through self-service kiosks at the Immigration Department's headquarters or its branch offices. A pilot programme was launched on December 29, 2011 for eligible applicants aged 11 to 17 to submit their applications through self-service kiosks at the Immigration Department's headquarters.

During the year, 587 462 HKSAR passport applications were received, including 9 074 from overseas.

The HKSAR Passports Appeal Board handles appeals against rejections of applications for HKSAR passports. It received six (four overseas and two local) appeals in 2011.

The Immigration Department continued lobbying for greater immigration convenience such as visa-free access for HKSAR passport holders. In 2011, the Republic of Serbia agreed to grant visa-free access to holders of HKSAR passport. By year-end, 143 countries and territories had granted visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to HKSAR passport holders.