The Immigration Department will launch new electronic services tomorrow for eligible applicants to complete the entire process of birth or death registrations online, without having to visit a registry in person. According to the Births & Deaths Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2023, which will take effect tomorrow, the statutory time limit for the registration of deaths from natural causes is extended from 24 hours to 14 days. It also removes the requirement for applicants who need to register births or deaths to attend the registries in person, so as to provide a legal basis for the introduction of electronic services for these kinds of registration. Under the new electronic services, if either parent of a newborn baby is a Hong Kong permanent resident, the parents may submit an application for a birth registration online within 42 days after the birth of their legitimate child. They may apply for a birth certificate at the same time and choose to receive it by
(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)
Hong Kong remains attractive to talent, particularly as they can tap into opportunities available upon Hong Kong's integration into the Mainland development under the Greater Bay Area, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said ahead of the Executive Council meeting today.
Mrs Lam was responding to reporters' questions on the latest official figures showing a decline in the city’s population, including an outflow of nearly 90,000 people.
She noted the inflow figures should also be taken into account when looking at the population numbers.
“There may be an increase in the number of outflows, but you will also notice that we have a significant reduction in the number of people coming in, mainly from the Mainland because of the travel restrictions.
“The number of one-way permit holders - that is Mainlanders coming into Hong Kong for family reunions - has significantly reduced because of the travel restrictions. So we are nowhere near the figure (that) used to be about on average 150 a day.”
The Chief Executive pointed out that Hong Kong people have freedom of movement and those who had chosen to leave had done so for various reasons.
“They have a free mind. They could decide where and when to leave Hong Kong or come back to Hong Kong, particularly for families with young children who may want children to have another form of education.”
Mrs Lam emphasised that Hong Kong is still an attractive place for talented people and that the Government attaches great importance to nurturing talent.
“We are doing (that) on every front. On nurturing talent, we are continuing to invest in education and we are even doing more on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education because we do see innovation and technology as an emergent engine of growth for Hong Kong.
“With our fundamental strengths and the opportunities available upon integrating into the Mainland development - particularly the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area - we will be able to recruit more talent.
“So similarly for foreign companies using Hong Kong as a regional headquarters, regional office or setting up a local office, Hong Kong will continue to be an attractive destination.”
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