Shenzhen has begun dealing more strictly with illegal
immigrants, as a growing number of foreigners, including some
without legal documentation, come to the city to seek their
fortune.
The municipal public security bureau will soon launch a
large-scale operation against illegal immigrants, a police source
said Wednesday, without elaborating.
The municipal public security bureau held a meeting last week to
plan the operation. The operation, headed by the vice director
general of the public security bureau Wang Jianping, will target
people who illegally enter China, overstay their visas, or work
without an employment permit.
The Shenzhen border police has apprehended about 400 foreigners
with expired or fake documents in the past two months. In one case,
a Pakistani man was caught with a fake English passport at Shenzhen
Bao'an International Airport.
Yin Xiao, a border police officer, said they had examined the
documents of foreigners more closely in the past two months
following an order from the Ministry of Public Security.
"With the rapid economic development in Shenzhen, some
foreigners are now staying or working illegally in Shenzhen, which,
to some extent, influences the social order," said Yin.
Shenzhen checkpoints are considering refusing entry to
foreigners who have overstayed for over two months.
"We saw few expired visas in the past, but in recent years, the
number of expired visas is increasing. So we are intensifying the
inspection," he said.
Few foreigners overstay for more than one month, which shows
that "they do not maliciously overstay," according to Yin.
Illegally entering China incurs a fine between 1,000 yuan
(US$125) and 10,000 yuan, or detention for three to 10 days.
Overstaying the visa period will result in a penalty of 500 yuan
per day, with a ceiling of 5,000 yuan, or detention for three to 10
days.
Working without a legal work permit will get the violator fired
and fined up to 1,000 yuan. Serious offenders will be deported, and
the employer fined between 5,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan, plus the
cost of deportation, according to the law.
Some regulations regarding foreigners are not taken seriously,
however. For example, foreigners planning to reside in China are
required to report to the local police station within 24 hours of
arrival, or have their hosts do so for them, but few foreigners
know the rule.
Police recently caught 15 foreigners who had not registered
their residence. Violation of the rule may result in a fine of up
to 500 yuan for both the foreigner and the host. Over 3.4 million
foreigners entered Shenzhen through checkpoints in Shenzhen last
year, up 17 percent last year. Some 13,000 foreigners live here,
accounting for nearly half the province's total, according to
official statistics.
The police bureau will assign two policemen at each station to
serve foreigners, said Wang Deming, director of the entry and exit
management department of the municipal public security bureau, in a
news conference held in March.
(Shenzhen Daily July 6, 2006)