Hong Kong immigration authorities up open temporary counters to help parents obtain cross-border travel permits for children amid summer rush
- Parents line up to get walk-in tickets at immigration office for document needed for children to return to city from mainland China and Macau
- Immigration Department says it is actively reviewing application arrangements and flexibly deploying resources to ensure permit requests are processed quickly
Hong Kong immigration authorities will open temporary counters to help parents obtain permits needed for their children to return to the city after travelling over the border amid surging demand for the document ahead of the summer break.
As long lines appeared outside the Immigration Department’s travel document office in Central on Friday, the intense demand for permits led to offers popping up on social media charging 600 yuan (US$82) for spots in the application queue.
The department in the evening announced that additional manpower would be arranged at its branch offices to cope with the demand for Hong Kong Re-entry Permits.
“For those who have not made an appointment and are unable to obtain a same-day ticket, all branch offices will set up temporary counters during office hours from [Saturday] onwards to receive and initially process applications,” the spokesman said.
“Applicants will be arranged to collect the permits in two to three working days.”
The permit allows residents to return to the city after travelling to the mainland or Macau.