The Public Security Police (PSP) said Tuesday they expect the number of violators of immigration rules to be reduced by 50 percent after new measures concerning period of time mainland passport holders are allowed to stay in Macau in transit takes effect on July 1.
Wong Kim Hong, a senior officer of the PSP Immigration Department, made the remark at the Barrier Gate checkpoint where he explained the new measures to the media.
The PSP said on Monday that the period that mainland passport holders are allowed to stay in Macau for the first time they use Macau as a “transit point” will be shortened to from seven to five days, according to the statement, pointing out that if the passport holders do not leave the city for their “original” destination and re-enter Macau within 60 days they will only be allowed to stay in Macau for a day.
Current immigration regulations took effect in 2008, concerning mainland passport holders who use Macau as a “transit point” before supposedly heading to a third destination. Currently, they are allowed to stay in Macau for two days when they re-enter the city within 30 days. According to the new rules, mainland passport holder found to have stayed in the city instead of using it as “transit point” will be banned from entering Macau when they want to Macau as a “transit point” for a third time within 60 days and then will not be allowed to enter Macau for a further 60 days. After 60 days the process resets itself.
According to PSP figures, the Immigration Department recorded about 2.6 million mainland passport holders using Macau as “transit point” last year.
Talking to reporters, Wong said that immigration officers working at the Barrier Gate checkpoint found about 100 mainlanders a day who were supposed to use Macau as a “transit point” en route to a third destination actually just stayed in Macau before returning to the mainland.
“After the new measures take effect I believe that the current situation [involving the number of cases] abusing [the transit period] will be reduced by 50 percent,” Wong said, adding that that the PSP and its mainland counterparts would keep in close contact about the implementation of the new measures.(macaunews/macaupost)
