The president of the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) Follow-up Committee for Public Administration Affairs, lawmaker Si Ka Lon, said yesterday that the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has optimised its residency application process with the aim of speeding up the procedure.
Si made the remarks during a press briefing after a closed-door meeting about the institute’s residency application scheme for investors and professionals. The meeting attended by lawmakers and IPIM officials was held at the legislature in Nam Van.
Si noted that in October last year, a total of 1,106 people visited the institute in person to enquire about the residency application process. He was quick to point out that the number dropped to around 660 people last month, which, Si said, was down 39 percent compared with October last year. He pointed out that the optimised process allows applicants to have a more thorough idea of the documents needed, thereby reducing applicants’ need to return to the institute to hand in missing documents.
Si noted that from the end of 2018 to the end of last year, IPIM reviewed 3,268 residency application cases, 1,439 of which were submitted by professionals. He added that when IPIM reviewed the applicants, it checked their job, educational background and their home address. However, he pointed out that when IPIM was asked how many cases did not pass the review process, its officials were unable to provide the figures.
Si acknowledged that the review process is slow as IPIM only has 16 staff working on the task. However, he said he hoped that IPIM could speed up the review process for professionals who live in Macau and have stayed here for seven years already, as pending applications would affect their career, social life and studies.
According to Si, there was a case of a Macau athlete who was unable to get his or her residency permit renewed because he or she needed to spend most of the time in the mainland for training purposes. Si also said that there are cases of professionals such as accountants and doctors who were unable to renew their professional licences because they were only holding a temporary stay permit but not a non-permanent resident identification card. Si said the committee urged IPIM to quicken the process for this kind of applicants.
Meanwhile, IPIM President Benson Lau Wai Meng told reporters yesterday after the closed-door meeting that the institute has visited all the investment residency applicants’ properties or companies since the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) report on the issue in 2018.
Lau said that if there were any suspected cases, IPIM would immediately take action to clarify the matter. However, when asked about the number of suspected cases, Lau said he was unable to provide the figures.
Lau also pointed out that since the end of last year, IPIM has put up a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the website for applicants to reconfirm which documents are needed for the process, which has helped speed up the review procedure.
Legislative Assembly (AL) Follow-up Committee for Public Administration Affairs President Si Ka Lon briefs the media after a closed-door meeting about IPIM’s residency application procedures for investors and professionals, at the Legislative Assembly building in Nam Van yesterday.
IPIM President Benson Lau Wai Meng talks to reporters yesterday after the closed-door meeting. Photos: Prisca Tang
