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A People's Republic of China Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao, or One-way Permit, is a document issued by the People's Republic of China allowing residents of
mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...
to leave the mainland permanently to settle in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
or
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
. The scheme was introduced in 1980. The travel restriction was needed to prevent large volumes of people coming to Hong Kong or
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
and preventing
illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
.


Citizen rights

When settling to Hong Kong or Macau, the
household registration Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events ( births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in differ ...
in the mainland is relinquished, however, a person need to reside in the SAR for 7 years for the permanent resident status, which grants citizen rights. Therefore, before the person can acquire permanent resident status, he/she is effectively a
second-class citizen A second-class citizen is a person who is systematically and actively discriminated against within a state or other political jurisdiction, despite their nominal status as a citizen or a legal resident there. While not necessarily slaves, o ...
in the SAR, without citizen rights (e.g. getting a passport) in both mainland China or the SAR.


Selected statistics on One-way Permit Holders (OWPHs)

As of the end of 2016, approximately 950,000 mainland migrants came from the program, representing about 12.8% of Hong Kong's total population.


Controversy

Although the permit is specifically for the purpose of family reunion, not for general immigration, the scheme is controversial. Hong Kong currently has a quota of 150 people per day and the waiting time for spouses is currently 4 years. Journalist
Ching Cheong Ching Cheong (; born in 1949) is a senior journalist with ''The Straits Times''. He is best known for having been detained by the People's Republic of China on allegations of spying for Taiwan. He was imprisoned from April 2005 to February ...
alleges that the scheme, whose beneficiaries are at the sole discretion of the PRC government and outside of the vetting procedures of the Hong Kong Immigration Department, is an infiltration mechanism by spies and friends of the regime into Hong Kong; those that are not filled by spies become a graft mechanism for officials.Hung, Ho-fung
"Three Views of Local Consciousness in Hong Kong"
''The Asia-Pacific Journal'', Vol. 12; Issue 44, No. 1; 3 November 2014.
Martin Lee said that the policy is part of the CPC's strategy of long-run "Tibetisation" of Hong Kong, aimed at marginalising Hong Kong people and their core values over time.Lee, Martin (29 September 2012)
"香港西藏化"
''Next Magazine''.


See also

* Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau: The permit issued to Mainland Chinese residents visiting Hong Kong and Macau temporary. * Home Return Permit * Taiwan Compatriot Entry Permit


References

{{Macau and Macau-related Identity and Travel Documents Human rights in China Immigration to Hong Kong Hong Kong travel documents