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Public Order

Illegal workers are fined and/or jailed before being sent back to their places of origin. Their employers are also liable to be prosecuted. In 2016, a total of 301 charges were laid against. employers of illegal workers.

Deportation and Removal

The department processes deportation and removal orders. In 2016, 476 people convicted of offences punishable with imprisonment of not less than two years were recommended for deportation and 443 were deported, meaning they are prohibited from returning. Another 956 were removed from Hong Kong, comprising 311 illegal immigrants, 544 people who had breached their conditions of stay and 101 people who were refused entry.

Investigation and Prosecution

During 2016, the department laid 5,564 charges against people who had committed various immigration offences, including remaining illegally in Hong Kong, breaching conditions of stay, making false statements or representations, and using or possessing forged travel documents.

Illegal immigrants or persons subject to removal or deportation orders are prohibited under section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance from taking employment, whether paid or unpaid, and 341 people were prosecuted under that provision in 2016.

Independent Commission Against Corruption

Hong Kong prides itself as a city with a clean civil service, a level playing field for doing business. and a society intolerant of corruption. International studies released in 2016 recognised the territory as one of the world's least corrupt places, including the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index and the Global Business Bribery Risk Index compiled by international anti-bribery consultancy Trace International.

Established in 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) safeguards Hong Kong's deep-rooted culture of probity through a holistic strategy of enforcement, prevention and education. Its independence is enshrined in the Basic Law. The ICAC's operation is sustained by the persistently strong political will of the government and supported by a Hong Kong public highly intolerant of corruption.

According to the 2016 ICAC Annual Survey, 96.2 per cent of respondents expressed support for the commission. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing total rejection and 10 representing total acceptance, the respondents registered a mean score of 0.7 in tolerance of corruption. In addition, 98.5 per cent said they had not encountered corruption in the past 12 months.

In 2016, the ICAC received 2,891 non-election-related corruption complaints, 3 per cent more than in 2015. Of these complaints, 63 per cent concerned the private sector, 29 per cent related to government departments and 8 per cent involved public bodies.

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