Overstayers were last night warned to go back to the mainland, in a defiant message from the Government before today's landmark court ruling on the right of abode issue.
The Court of Final Appeal will rule on 17 mainlanders who claim the right of abode and say they should not have to go back to the mainland for a Certificate of Entitlement to prove that fact.
They were given that right by the top court's decision in January.
The ruling was overturned following a reinterpretation at the Government's request by the National People's Congress five months later.
Today's verdict will determine the fate of around 6,000 migrants in Hong Kong who face removal, and many more on the mainland wishing to live in the SAR.
The migrants claim they are entitled to apply for Certificates of Entitlement here and should not be removed simply because they do not have one.
