Mainland migrants are needed in Hong Kong. The city should not scrap the one-way permit scheme, but improve it

The criticism directed at the mainland migrants in our midst is based on half-truths and prejudice, and should not be the basis of our policy. The scheme should stay, both for humanistic and practical reasons, but we should address genuine concerns

Paul Yip

Published: 7:00am, 6 Apr 2019

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The one-way permit scheme that allows a daily quota of 150 mainlanders to settle in Hong Kong has been a target of criticism lately, in view of our overcrowded hospital system that some believe is the outcome of having too many mainland migrants in the city.

The scheme was first set up in 1980, when Hong Kong was still a British colony, to restrict the flow of mainland immigrants to Hong Kong. The quota number has changed over the years, but has remained at 150 since 1995.

With the rise in the number of cross-border marriages, the scheme has been instrumental in allowing mainland spouses and children of Hong Kong residents to be reunited with their family in Hong Kong.

Such reunions should be encouraged. Families that endure long separations are more vulnerable to relationship problems. Divorces are more common, as are poor parent-child relations.

And the longer mainland children wait to come to Hong Kong, the harder it is for them to adjust to the local school system. When their well-being is compromised, society will also pay a price. Most of the mainlanders who come to Hong Kong under this scheme are mothers and young children. So the arrangement has helped many Hongkongers fulfil their aspiration to form a family.

The NGO Society for Community Organisation leads a march of mainland women and their children born in Hong Kong, on December 25 last year, to call for the quicker issuance of one-way permits for mothers to move to Hong Kong. Photo: Winson Wong

Overall, however, it is true that the educational attainment of these migrants tend to be lower than local-born residents. There is genuine concern that the quality of the people leaving Hong Kong is better than those coming here.

But if mainland migrants are not reaching their full potential, we should fault the government for not doing more to help them do so.

I believe the calls to reduce the number of mainland migrants to mitigate the pressure on our health care system stem from a prejudiced view. And this has much to do with the government’s lack of preparation for migrants’ arrival.

The authorities should help them settle into Hong Kong life, particularly as many are young people who will be crucial to raising Hong Kong’s productivity. Hence, more support and training should be provided to help migrants become more productive.

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The current debate only focuses on the negative side of the one-way permit scheme, ignoring the positives. For instance, it’s a fact that many of the migrants take up jobs that locals aren’t willing to do. Their socio-economic value has not been fully appreciated in the community.

Besides, it is not fair to blame mainland migrants for our overcrowded public hospitals, or for the long queues for public housing. Our public hospitals are suffering a manpower crunch mainly because of population ageing.

The fact that overseas-trained doctors face high barriers to practising here does not help. As for our lack of affordable housing, our high land prices and developers’ greed are to blame, rather than mainland migrants.

Mainland migrants are an easy target. Stigmatising a certain group of people will create a polarised society. Those with a political agenda may think they have something to gain in such an outcome, but it is a lose-lose situation for everyone.

The recent mass shootings at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in New Zealand were a wake-up call for all of us.

Discrimination against any group in a community must not be encouraged. I hope our society can be more empathetic to the conditions of its newcomers.

More than one million people have come to Hong Kong from the mainland over the past two decades, and over 80 per cent of our population growth is the result of the one-way permit scheme. It is important that these newcomers are better integrated into society.

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The genuine local concerns about the lack of sufficient living space, unaffordable housing prices, and low quality of living should be addressed.

The Hong Kong government should take up the issues with the central government. Workable solutions can be found that take into account the city’s carrying capacity and at the same time meet family needs.

Paul Yip is chair professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong

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