Hong Kong’s Immigration Department carried out a chartered removal flight on 12 November, returning 20 illegal entrants and one overstayer to Vietnam. All 21 individuals were classified as “unsubstantiated non-refoulement claimants”, meaning their bids for protection had been rejected at every appeal stage. Under a tougher removal policy introduced in late 2022, the department may deport failed claimants once any judicial review is dismissed by the High Court. Officials say the approach cuts years off the process, reducing detention costs and the risk of absconding. More than 680 people—mostly from South-East Asia and Africa—have been repatriated so far in 2026, compared with 290 in the whole of 2024. The Vietnamese group included several ex-prisoners convicted of theft and drug offences in Hong Kong. Immigration officers escorted the returnees from Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre to Chek Lap Kok Airport under tight security. Hanoi authorities pre-cleared travel documents and accepted the flight under a 2015 readmission agreement. Employers should note that stepped-up removals coincide with intensified workplace raids: just this week, 25 suspected illegal workers and employers were arrested in territory-wide operations. Companies hiring foreign labour—especially in F&B, logistics and cleaning—are reminded to perform due diligence on work visas and keep copies on site. Human-rights NGOs have criticised the accelerated policy for limiting access to legal aid, but the government maintains that genuine refugees may still file fresh claims if circumstances change. For now, the message is clear: overstayers and failed claimants face swift deportation.
Source: Bastille Post
