It has always been the goal of the Immigration Department to render highly efficient and courteous services to members of the public while maintaining effective immigration control.
The department publishes its performance pledges annually to inform public of its standards of service.
The department publishes its performance pledges annually to inform members of the public of the standards of service to expect from the department in respect of its immigration clearance work, registration of births, deaths and marriages, and issuance of identity cards, travel documents and visas. They are also advised of the actions they can take when the standards are not met.
The Users' Committee was established to effectively monitor the performance of the department on the fulfilment of the pledges. Chaired by the Director of Immigration, the committee comprises representatives from various trades and industries concerned. The committee meets half-yearly to monitor and review the fulfilment of performance pledges, advise the Director of Immigration on areas of service that may require improvement and help determine the amount of resources required to achieve the standards set.
Immigration Department Users' Committee regularly advises the Director of Immigration on areas of service that may require improvement.
Overall, pledges for different types of entry visa applications were fulfilled. In 2023, 99 per cent of employment visa applications were finalised within four weeks, exceeding the pledged target of 90 per cent. For other visa applications, 99.1 per cent were finalised within six weeks, exceeding the pledged target of 90 per cent likewise. As regards visit visa applications, all were finalised within four weeks as pledged.
In the same period, all applications for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Travel Passes, working holiday visas, entry permits for Mainland fisherman deckhands, entry permits under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, and multiple entry permits for Chinese residents of Taiwan working, studying or residing in Hong Kong were finalised with the pledged targets met. As regards pre-arrival registration for Taiwan residents, all applications were also finalised as pledged, with results made known to the applicants on the day of application. Furthermore, all applications for Certificates of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the HKSAR were finalised within three months, exceeding the pledged target of 95 per cent.
Following the gradual resumption of normal travel of persons between Hong Kong and the Mainland in phases from 8 January 2023 onwards, the Government of the HKSAR has reopened the control points where passenger clearance services had to be suspended earlier in response to the developments of the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2023, all control points which provided passenger clearance services were able to clear 99.99 per cent of Hong Kong residents within a 15-minute waiting time. As regards visitors, the Airport Control Point cleared 99.99 per cent of visitors within a 15-minute waiting time, while clearance for all visitors at the China Ferry Terminal, Macau Ferry Terminal, Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Express Rail Link West Kowloon, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, Shenzhen Bay, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Points could also be finished within a 30-minute waiting time, far achieving the pledged service standards.
The Airport Control Point cleared 99.99 per cent of visitors within 15-minute waiting time, far achieving the pledged service standards.
In response to the developments of the COVID-19 epidemic, the government suspended passenger clearance services at most of the control points in phases from the end of January 2020 to early 2023. The details were as follows:
The normal travel of persons between Hong Kong and the Mainland has been resumed progressively in phases starting 8 January 2023. The reopening dates and adjusted operating hours of various control points are as follows:
All passenger clearance services (including clearance services for passengers, private cars and cross boundary coaches) at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point also commenced operation on 6 February 2023 following the full resumption of normal travel.
The standard processing time for the issuance of a new smart identity card is 7 working days.
With effect from 1 February 2019, the normal processing time for issuing a new smart identity card has been shortened from 10 working days to 7 working days (excluding Saturdays and general holidays). The department continued to fulfil this performance pledge in 2023. All registrants would be issued with their identity cards within 7 working days. Moreover, all applicants were provided with the service on the day of attendance.
Registration procedure for births are generally completed on the same day.
The pledged service standards for completing the processing of applications for registration of births or deaths, or for giving a notice of intended marriage at the counter within 30 minutes were generally met in 2023. Moreover, upon receipt of all necessary documents, we achieved the pledged targets of issuing results of searches of birth, death or marriage records and of issuing certified copies of such records within 7 working days; and of conducting searches of birth or death records and issuing certified copies of such records within 10 working days. Despite the fact that the birth or death records concerned had already been converted into computer records, the pledge of issuing certified copies of such records within 10 minutes could also be fulfilled.
With effect from 14 May 2019, the time required for processing applications for an HKSAR passport or a Document of Identity for Visa Purposes has been shortened from 10 working days to 5 working days, while that for processing applications for an HKSAR passport for children aged under 11 not holding a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card has been shortened from 14 working days to 10 working days. In 2023, the above pledged targets were achieved. Moreover, the pledges of issuing a Seaman's Identity Book and a Re-entry Permit on the same day of application were also fulfilled. On 26 September 2023, the department introduced the new 'Online Travel Document Application Status Enquiry' service, with a view to bringing convenience to the public while boosting operational efficiency.
In 2023, the pledged target of issuing confirmation letters to all applicants for declaration of change of nationality on the same day of application was met. In addition, 80 per cent of applications for renunciation of Chinese nationality were finalised within two months upon receipt of all necessary documents as pledged. As regards applications for naturalisation as a Chinese national and restoration of Chinese nationality, the pledged target of finalising 80 per cent of the applications within three months upon receipt of all necessary documents was also fulfilled.
The department's homepage (www.immd.gov.hk) is available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and English versions. It provides up-to-date information on immigration services and makes available commonly used application forms for convenient downloading by Internet users. Apart from its user-friendly mobile interface design, which makes information readily accessible on mobile devices, its clear and simple layout and website structure, coupled with the use of infographics, provide members of the public with a better browsing experience. In addition, it continues to provide a gateway to our electronic services to facilitate public access to information about our services. Moreover, web accessibility design is adopted to ensure that the contents are available and easily accessible for all, including persons with disabilities, the elderly, persons beset with colour blindness, and persons with other special needs (such as dyslexia).
The Immigration Department Mobile Application is equipped with a number of functions, including application services, appointment booking, form filling, submission of supplementary documents and information, payment of fees, as well as 'e-Visa' enquiry and downloading. Members of the public may also use the mobile application to make enquiries on application status, tag status and the latest information on the estimated passenger waiting time at major land boundary control points. Besides, other useful information, such as Outbound Travel Tips which provide the general public with tips on travelling abroad, and the link to the department's official YouTube channel, can also be found in the mobile application.
In 2023, with the extension of the service of online submission of applications to more services, including births, deaths and marriage registration, application for personal data, information of the Immigration Department and requests for certified copies of documents, relevant functions have been added to the mobile application to enable applicants to submit applications through the mobile application anytime and anywhere without having to attend an Immigration Office in person. Besides, to enhance the public's experience of our caring quality services, the department has launched the 'I-RemindU' service. Members of the public can register for the service through the link in the mobile application and receive relevant personalised notifications in a timely manner.
With a view to further enhancing the service and convenience for Hong Kong residents in distress or in need of assistance outside Hong Kong to contact the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit (AHU), and subsequent to the introduction of the 1868 Hotline Network Data Call function on 31 March 2021 and the Online Assistance Request Form service on 21 June 2022, the department has additionally provided the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline from 3 April 2023 onwards for Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong to contact the AHU for assistance by sending a message to (852) 1868 via the WhatsApp application.
In 2023, the department won the Grand Award of The Ombudsman's Awards for Public Organisations for the sixth time, which endorsed our professional and proactive attitude towards complaint handling as well as our concerted efforts in providing quality services to the public.
In 2023, the department received the Grand Award of The Ombudsman's Awards for Public Organisations. This is the sixth occasion on which the department has been bestowed with this honour, standing as a testament to our professionalism in complaint handling as well as our concerted efforts in providing quality services to the public. At the same time, two staff members of our department also got The Ombudsman's Awards for Officers of Public Organisations, marking the 25th consecutive year that our staff members have been granted the award.
In 2023, several staff members of the department were commended under the Secretary for the Civil Service (SCS)'s Commendation Award Scheme.
Administered by the Civil Service Bureau, the SCS's Commendation Award Scheme aims at commending civil servants for their consistently meritorious performance. In 2023, six staff members of the department were commended under the Scheme. Our staff members have been commended for 20 consecutive years since the introduction of the Scheme.
In recognition of our commitment to caring for the community, our staff and the environment, the department has been awarded the Caring Organisation Logo by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service since 2006 and the 15 Years Plus Caring Organisation Logo since 2020-21. In addition, two of our staff members were appointed as Caring Ambassadors in 2023-24 for their active participation in and support to social activities.
The department values all customer feedback on our services, be it praises or complaints. Compliments given by members of the public not only recognise our efforts in providing quality services, but also provides a blueprint for raising our service standards in the future. The department has set up the Customer Services Unit to receive complaints and monitor the respective replies. In compliance with the standards of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), i.e. ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 10002:2018, complaints received are treated positively and constructively and taken as a source of motivation for continuous improvement. In the course of handling complaints, the department is able to examine its service quality from different perspectives so as to do our best in meeting the expectations of our community.
It is the government's established policy objective to provide a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities so that they can have access to premises and make use of the facilities and services therein on an equal basis with others, thereby enabling them to live independently and fully integrate into the community. In this regard, the department has equipped its offices with ancillary facilities and services for persons with disabilities, such as induction loop systems for persons with hearing impairment, tactile guide paths, special help-through channels at control points, etc. Meanwhile, the department reviews its existing facilities regularly and makes improvements as far as feasible in order to provide quality services for them. Training is provided for staff, especially frontline staff who have frequent and direct contact with members of the public, to enable them to serve the public in a fair and just manner, and to identify those who show signs of disability and are in need of help. Designated officers have been appointed in offices of the department to provide assistance to persons with disabilities. They can also be contacted on accessibility issues at the offices.
To further facilitate the performance of self-service immigration clearance by visually impaired persons, the boundary control points at Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Macau Ferry Terminal, Shenzhen Bay, China Ferry Terminal, Lo Wu, Express Rail Link West Kowloon, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hung Hom and Heung Yuen Wai are equipped with voice navigated e-Channels. Visually impaired persons simply need to press the activation button at the entrance of the e-Channel to initiate the voice navigation function. Appropriate voice instructions will then be given when they go through all the self-service clearance steps, including the moment when the gates open or close, so as to guide them to complete the clearance procedures.
Special help-through channels are set up at various control points to serve those in need.
In the face of the ever-changing conditions, the department attaches great importance to staff's sustainable development and commits to creating a life-long learning environment within the department, such that staff members are encouraged to keep pace with society and strive for excellence. The Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development (ISITD) reviews the departmental training strategy from time to time and reinforces the professional work knowledge and management skills of staff members through a variety of training programmes. This not only enhances their overall work efficiency, but also fosters the sustainable development of both the department and its staff.
The ISITD regularly reviews the departmental training strategy and equips staff with updated job knowledge and management skills through a variety of training programmes.
Since 2019, the department, in the capacity of programme operator has, applied to the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications for accreditation of its induction and in-service training programmes of various grades for inclusion in the Qualifications Register (QR). At present, the department has eight self-operated programmes that have been recognised under the Qualifications Framework (QF), including four programmes pitched at QF Level 5 (equivalent to bachelor's degree level), namely the Professional Certificate in Effective Leadership & Management for Senior Immigration Officer, the Professional Diploma in Management in Immigration Services and Control for Immigration Officer, the Professional Certificate in Frontline Management in Immigration Services and Control for Chief Immigration Assistant and the Professional Certificate in Assessment of Non-refoulement Claims under the Unified Screening Mechanism for Immigration Service Members, and four programmes pitched at QF Level 4 (equivalent to associate degree or higher diploma level), namely the Professional Certificate in Preparatory Management in Immigration Services and Control for Senior Immigration Assistant, the Professional Diploma in Immigration Control and Passenger Clearance for Immigration Assistant, the Professional Diploma in Immigration Services and Control for Immigration Assistant and the Professional Certificate in Worldwide Emergency Assistance Services for Immigration Service Members. From the accreditation of the above programmes to the end of 2023, a total of 3,423 members of the Immigration Service, comprising 61 Senior Immigration Officers, 388 Immigration Officers, 254 Chief Immigration Assistants, 286 Senior Immigration Assistants and 2,434 Immigration Assistants, had completed the training programmes. The department will continue to apply for inclusion of various training programmes in the QR so that more service members can acquire the relevant professional qualifications.