Shenzhen imposes once-a-week limit on cross-border visits to Hong Kong by permanent residents
Restrictions imposed on the city's permanent residents after State Council 'adjustment' in policy will cut number of visitors by a third
Shenzhen's permanent residents are to be limited to just one visit a week to Hong Kong using their multiple-entry permits, a move that will slash the number of these visitors by about 30 per cent, according to sources familiar with the arrangement.
A Hong Kong government source said the restriction would cut the number of visitors to the city by 4.6 million a year.
Shenzhen municipal government issued the ruling yesterday after a decision by the State Council to approve an "adjustment" in the number of trips that multiple-entry permit holders can make to Hong Kong, a notice circulating on the internet said.
The notice set out details of the arrangement - restricting the number of trips by multiple-entry permit holders to one a week - although it did not say when the change would be implemented. The trips cannot be saved up; they must be used or they will be lost.
Shenzhen police and Hong Kong government sources confirmed the new arrangement to the .
The Hong Kong government said last night that it had submitted a proposal to the central government to adjust the multiple-entry policy. "Any adjustment to the policy is pending the central government's announcement," it said in a statement.
Only Shenzhen permanent residents can hold multiple-entry permits, which allow them to make as many trips as they want to Hong Kong.
