According to a Post investigation, as of 11:30 a.m., the website read:[the appointment] Although services resumed in the afternoon, “we are at full capacity today,” the spokesman said.
Chief Executive John Lee Kar-chew said in the morning that online bookings were almost full and the government would continue to negotiate with Chinese agents to facilitate applications.
“This new measure can enhance Hong Kong’s unique status and advantages,” he said, highlighting it as an example of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” governing principle.
“We believe that we can promote exchanges between mainland Chinese residents and non-Chinese permanent residents. It will definitely bring benefits to both sides.”
Li also said the new arrangement would make it easier for the city’s non-Chinese community to contribute to the country’s development.
District councillor Rizwan Ullah said members of ethnic minority communities had expressed interest in applying for travel permits as the current visa application process was “complicated” and time-consuming.
“You have to prepare a lot of documents in advance. Even if you have a visa, the immigration process takes a long time because immigration officers ask you a lot of questions,” he said.
“The Chinese government now treats us as part of China. With the entry permit, I think we will be treated differently because we are no longer considered foreigners.”
Ullah said the permit could boost integration by making it easier for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities to open bank accounts, set up offices and apply for driver’s licences in mainland China.
Under the new arrangement, non-Chinese permit holders can enter mainland China for short-term purposes such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges, staying up to 90 days per visit, but are prohibited from working, studying or engaging in reporting activities.
In addition, once you have completed procedures such as fingerprinting, you will be able to undergo self-service immigration inspection at the checkpoint.
Under the current system, visa holders are required to use manual channels, provide fingerprints and fill out an entry card every time.
Ilyas Mohammed, a member of the government-appointed Commission to Promote Racial Reconciliation, said under the current system non-Chinese residents often have to wait several hours to apply for a visa and face long waits at immigration.
He felt that the new policy was good value and a “win-win” for Hong Kong’s ethnic minority groups and mainland Chinese businesses, with a five-year multiple-entry pass costing just HK$260 (US$33).
“With this kind of convenience, more people will go to mainland China for business and shopping,” he said. “I’m very happy that Hong Kong and China have thought of us.”
Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals, who visits mainland China more than 10 times a year, also told a radio show he plans to apply for the new permit, which he said would allow him to avoid manual immigration procedures.
The Hong Kong government announced in October last year that foreign staff of Hong Kong-registered companies would be given priority in applying for multiple-entry visas to mainland China of more than two years, while non-Chinese permanent residents would be given visa validity of up to five years.
New People’s Party lawmaker Eunice Yong Hoi-yan said the previous measures were limited to business trips but the new permits cover a wider range of travel purposes.
She hopes the plan will encourage more non-Chinese Hong Kongers to visit mainland China.
“It will be an opportunity to learn more about mainland China. It will be a good opportunity to tell a good story about Hong Kong and China,” Yong told the radio show.
