National security risk test for all Hong Kong visa applicants introduced by Immigration Department
- Director of Immigration Benson Kwok reveals department will evaluate background and past statements of visa applicants to determine whether they pose a risk
- Asked if foreign journalists, academics and lawyers will be barred, Kwok says ‘it’s not a blanket ban’
Hong Kong immigration authorities have introduced a national security risk test for all visa applicants to prevent people who pose a threat from entering the city, but they insist it will not target foreign journalists and academics.
Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung revealed on Thursday that his department would evaluate the background and past statements of visa applicants to determine whether they posed a risk to national security.
“It’s not a blanket ban, but we will handle each visa application in accordance with the laws and immigration policies regardless of their occupation or particular fields of work,” Kwok said, when asked if all foreign journalists, academics and lawyers would be barred under the test.
The disclosure follows high-profile visa incidents in recent months. Academic Rowena He Xiaoqing, who researches the Tiananmen crackdown, had a work visa extension denied without explanation in October, while Japanese freelance journalist Yoshiaki Ogawa was turned away at the city’s airport in June.
