Immigration Department edict appears to be an attempt to stop people fleeing the country and seeking asylum
Nepalese nationals will be banned by the Immigration Department from entering the city as students or workers from Monday in an apparent bid to discourage those fleeing the conflict-ridden country from seeking asylum through Hong Kong.
The department announced yesterday that it would 'cease to accept visa applications from nationals of Nepal wanting to study or take up employment in Hong Kong'. Nepalese nationals will also be required to obtain transit visas if flying via Hong Kong International Airport.
Applications received before Monday will continue to be processed and the new rules will not apply to Nepalese residents already in Hong Kong. Applications for entry as dependants from Nepal and under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme will continue to be processed.
The 2001 census put the number of Nepalis in Hong Kong at 12,564, but members of the community estimate the number to be between 30,000 and 50,000.
In the absence of an official explanation for the ban, speculation was rife about the reasons behind it. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Hong Kong office declined to comment but confirmed that there was an increasing number of Nepalese asylum seekers in the city. There are 210 applications for asylum pending from Nepalese nationals.
Hong Kong does not accept refugees but allows asylum seekers to remain here pending their refugee status determination by the UNHCR and until they are resettled elsewhere if recognised as legitimate refugees.