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The Immigration Department (ImmD) will rehire approximately 200 retired officers to cope with the surge in traveler volume during the initial opening phase of the new Huanggang Port, according to Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung.
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Speaking on a television program, Kwok stated that the department will also seek additional resources from the government to hire more staff based on future needs.
The redeveloped port is able to handle up to 200,000 travelers per day, which will significantly alleviate pressure on existing border checkpoints when compared to the daily capacity of about 40,000 travelers at the original Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
Kwok also believes the revamped port, which is accessible by direct public bus routes, will divert some passenger traffic away from the Heung Yuen Wai Control Point and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point.
Regarding the "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" model, Kwok explained that the arrangement compresses the clearance time to around 20 seconds.
He stressed the difficulty of implementing this model comprehensively at existing checkpoints due to complex reconstruction works and space constraints. However, he revealed that the government is actively exploring the introduction of the model at the Sha Tau Kok Control Point, which is slated for reconstruction.
The "seamless e-channel" system currently being trialed at the departure hall of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port may also be expanded to the arrivals hall and other busy border control points, Kwok added.
