Single mainland mothers protest at Tamar in bid to be reunited with Hong Kong-born children

The group submitted a petition and appealed to Hong Kong security minister John Lee Ka-chiu to liaise with mainland authorities

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Mainland mothers have been trying for years to get one-way permits. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 5:14pm, 17 Feb 2018Updated: 11:01pm, 17 Feb 2018

Dozens of single mainland Chinese mothers of Hong Kong-born children protested at the government headquarters in Admiralty on Saturday and demanded authorities speed up the process to allow them to permanently settle in the city.

The group, led by non-profit Society for Community Organisation, submitted a petition on the second day of the Lunar New Year and appealed to Hong Kong security minister John Lee Ka-chiu to liaise with mainland authorities.

The children are permanent residents in Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

The mothers said they had been waiting for around eight years on average for a one-way permit, a document issued by the Chinese government that allows residents to leave the mainland without a time limit.

Time to renegotiate policy that allows 150 mainland Chinese to settle in Hong Kong every day

Around 180 such single families involving 200 children had sought help from SoCO as the mothers are mainland residents without the right to abode in Hong Kong and can only come to the city with a visit visa. Their children are permanent residents in the city since they were born to Hong Kong fathers.