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Under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law, persons of Chinese nationality
born outside Hong Kong of Hong Kong permanent residents shall be permanent
residents of the HKSAR and enjoy the right of abode. The Immigration Ordinance
stipulates that in order for a person to qualify for the right of abode
under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law, at least one of his parents must
be a Chinese citizen who has the right of abode at the time of his birth.
The Government introduced the Certificate of Entitlement Scheme on July
10, 1997, under which a person's status as a permanent resident of the
HKSAR under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law can be established only
by his holding a valid travel document (i.e. a One-way Permit) with a
valid certificate of entitlement affixed to it. This arrangement enables
systematic verification of right of abode claims and ensures orderly entry.
Between July 1, 1997 and the end of 2003, some 146 000 certificate of
entitlement holders have entered Hong Kong. |
