Hong Kong immigration says no change to journalist visa process in response to media reports and Foreign Correspondents’ Club query
- Local news outlets have suggested a national security unit is now vetting foreign media visa applications, prompting concern in journalist community
- But immigration says same division still handling applications, while senior government source calls reports ‘largely inaccurate’
In an open letter to immigration director Au Ka-wang, the club said it had come to its attention that a new procedure “may have been established” for processing foreign media visas in Hong Kong.
Citing local press reports, the FCC asked the department to clarify if applications were now being processed by a national security unit led by an immigration officer within the quality migrants and mainland residents’ section. It also asked for an explanation of the criteria being applied to journalist applications.
“Reports about these changes have emerged with no official confirmation or transparency, which has raised serious concerns among the many international media organisations and journalists that have the right to operate freely in Hong Kong,” the club’s president, Jodi Schneider, wrote in the letter.
