According to one of the community leaders of the Indian population living in Hong Kong, he readily accepts the new entry requirements on any new visitors into the city in so as to diminish the tricky positions caused by Indians who are looking for refugee status. Citizens from India will be required to get prior consent from the department of immigration as from the year 2017 before entering Hong Kong. Mohan Chugani, who is the former president of the Indian Association of Hong Kong stated that these new steps were a decision towards the right direction by solving economic migrant problems that in most cases ruins the country’s reputation. Additionally, Chugani also says that Hong Kong is not properly prepared to handle the huge influx of refugees into the region hence such a step was only a short-term measure to solve this problem. The government of Hong Kong has also strived to ensure that it welcomes refugees while at the same time developing its policies to better serve them.

Of all the 10,675 refugee applicants, 19.7% of all claimants were Indian nationals. It is approximated that about half of these people entered the city illegally and the other portion representing those who had overstayed their visas including the Hong Kong business visa. As a result, holders of Indian passports that were planning on visiting this region have to apply for pre-arrival registration online failure of which the individual will not be able to travel in the city without a visa. Furthermore, applicants wishing to visit Hong Kong will be required to provide their personal details, itinerary and travel history.

This will enable the system to undertake a risk assessment that will be based on the information presented by the applicant which will enable an approval to be granted. All applicants are expected to state their real reasons for travel in all honesty. Among the things to be reviewed include whether the claimants overstayed in Hong Kong previously. The successful applicants who fail to show the approval slip would not be allowed to board a ship or plane to Hong Kong. Mr. Chugani clarified that the many Indian visitors who had been deported was because the immigration officers had doubt about their purpose for visiting. He added that real business people who possessed the Hong Kong business visa and real visitors had nothing to hide and consequently should not be afraid of the new policies. Nonetheless, the bureau failed to give a precise date as to when the new measures would be executed. Besides, communication from the agency only stated its desire to unveil the system by the year 2017.

For more immigration updates, follow us on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn