'Give One-way Permit To Skilled Mainlanders First'

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho says he believes there's room for change in the current one-way permit scheme without cutting the 150-per-day quota.

The scheme allows mainlanders to get settle permanently in Hong Kong to reunite with family members, and is administered by mainland authorities without input from the SAR government.

Critics have called on the government to seek to cut down the quota, saying new migrants who moved here under the scheme are spreading resources thin.

But Ho said a better solution would be to modify the scheme to give preference to mainland migrants who have “more convincing or impressive qualities”, or desirable skills.

“For example, [if his] academic performance is excellent, or what he is doing in his own trade or profession is outstanding, or they are really the people that we need,” he told RTHK’s Janice Wong.

He said although Hong Kong doesn’t have the power to vet who can come, local authorities can express its views on the matter.

“We are entitled to give our opinion, they are obliged to consult us for the opinion,” he said.