With the gradual lifting of epidemic prevention measures and transit restrictions in Hong Kong and other places, entry and exit in Hong Kong are gradually returning to normal. The Immigration Department announced that the total number of entry and exit trips last year was approximately 5.3 million, an increase of approximately 1.7 times compared to 2021; Since Hong Kong and the mainland have implemented quarantine-free customs clearance, as of Monday (16th), there have been 207,000 trips to the mainland, and 140,000 trips to Hong Kong from the south. The Immigration Department has announced that Lok Ma Chau (Huanggang) and Luo Wu control points will resume services in the second phase of customs clearance. In addition, Hong Kong people are eager to travel abroad. From October to December last year, the application for SAR passports hit a new high for three consecutive months, receiving more than 100,000 applications every month.
The Immigration Department held its first annual press conference since the outbreak yesterday. Director of Immigration Au Jiahong said that last year, the Immigration Department recorded a total of 5.3 million people entering and exiting the country, an increase of 1.7 times compared to 2021. The number of tourists visiting Hong Kong in the whole year is about 600,000, which is also an increase of 5.6 times compared with 2021. Among them, the number of visits by mainland visitors exceeded 370,000, an increase of 4.7 times; the number of arrivals of other visitors was 230,000, an increase of 7.9 times. Among the annual visitor arrivals to Hong Kong, about 500,000 arrived via the airport, 97,000 by land, and 6,000 by sea.
Hong Kong and the mainland have implemented quarantine-free customs clearance since the 8th of this month. As of this Monday (16th), that is, the first 9 days of customs clearance, there were 207,000 people who went north to the mainland, and 80% of them became Hong Kong residents; 140,000 passengers, two of whom are mainland residents; 60% of passengers transit through the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Futian) control point. More than 600,000 citizens completed appointments through the system. Assistant Director (Control) of the Immigration Department, Cai Zhiyuan, said that since the two places confirmed the resumption of customs clearance at the end of last year, the Department has redeployed manpower, redeploying about 2,000 personnel who originally supported the epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic work to the original control station posts. The reservation system has not been chaotic so far, and the customs clearance has been smooth and orderly. He also pointed out that after customs clearance, he has been discussing with the Mainland, and it is predicted that control points such as Luo Wu and Lok Ma Chau (Huanggang) will be reopened during the second phase of customs clearance. The details will be announced by the “Customs Clearance Coordination Group” led by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Secretary for Security. , “There should be good news for everyone.”
Over 610,000 SAR passports were issued last year
Customs clearance also drives Hong Kong people to travel abroad. The Immigration Department issued a total of more than 610,000 SAR passports last year, which is nearly double that of 2021. Among them, the number of applications from October to December has hit a record high for three consecutive months, and more than 100,000 applications are received every month, which is higher than before. An average of 60,000 copies per month is nearly 70% higher. Last year, the Assistance Group for Hong Kong Residents Abroad handled about 1,700 help-seeking cases, most of which involved loss of travel documents, hospitalization or casualties abroad. As for Hong Kong people who were defrauded to work in Southeast Asian countries last year, the team received a total of 46 assistance cases, of which 42 Hong Kong residents have been confirmed safe, 32 of them have returned to Hong Kong, and 10 people do not need further assistance and follow-up. According to the prescription, there are currently 2 people in Cambodia and 2 people in Myanmar, and the prescription will continue to actively follow up.
In addition, the new smart identity card replacement program has also entered the final stage. The Immigration Department has issued nearly 7.6 million new cards so far, of which 5.9 million were issued through the card replacement program. The Immigration Department announced earlier that the final application period for card renewal is February 11, and the final card collection date is March 3. However, after customs clearance, many Hong Kong people returned to Hong Kong to renew their certificates. The prescription is actively considering extending the renewal period, and the details will be announced as soon as possible.
