NON-CHINESE permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao who possess mainland travel permits are now able to use these documents to cross the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border via Shenzhen checkpoints, according to a recent report by Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. Since July 10, non-Chinese permanent residents of the two special administrative regions have been allowed to apply for mainland travel permits, as announced by China’s immigration authorities. To date, more than 20,000 eligible individuals have applied for the permits. According to the basic laws of the two regions, permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao include both Chinese and non-Chinese people. “It is so convenient to use the fast-check channel,” said Alfred, a non-Chinese permanent resident of Hong Kong. Alfred and his family, originally from Austria, were able to smoothly travel from Hong Kong to Shenzhen via Futian Checkpoint. “Before applying for this document, it took me one or two weeks to obtain a visa, and now I can commute between Hong Kong and Shenzhen daily,” Alfred said. According to relevant measures, non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao who travel to the mainland for short-term purposes, such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars, and exchanges, may apply for the permit. The permit, approved and issued by the exit-entry administration, is valid for five years. With it, the holder may travel to the mainland multiple times for up to 90 days each time. However, if permit holders intend to work, study, or engage in news reporting activities on the mainland, they should apply for visas or residence permits in accordance with the law. Lin Xipeng, an employee of Shenzhen’s exit and entry administration, said that checkpoints in Shenzhen, such as the Futian and Shenzhen Bay checkpoints, have set up temporary information collection stations to facilitate the use of fast-track channels by non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao. (Chen Siqi) |