The number of one-way passport holders from China who settle in Hong Kong is declining, and is expected to keep decreasing over the next few years, according to figures.
Of the 150 daily permits available, mainlanders are expected to use only 100 in the medium to long-term, down from the 2012 government estimate of 149, the SCMP reports.
Along with increasing anti-mainlander sentiment from some Hongkongers who are frustrated with the perceived influx of Chinese mainlanders entering the city, improvements in living standards on the motherland may have contributed to the decline in immigrants.
Earlier in 2015, China unveiled plans to encourage economic growth and stimulate job production within the mainland.
According to Chou Kee-Lee, head of the Department of Asian and Policy Studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, more job opportunities in China have led to less motivation for mainlanders to relocate.
Subsequently, China reversing its one-child policy could also result in a major decline in one-way passport holders coming to Hong Kong.
Nearly 40 percent of locally registered marriages are currently with mainland Chinese citizens. That number is also expected to drop significantly.
Photo: Myriam Tsen-Kung/Coconuts Media
