Civil Service Secretary Visits Immigration Department's New Headquarters, Highlights Service Innovations and Staff Engagement.

SCS visits Immigration Department

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited the new headquarters of the Immigration Department (ImmD) in Tseung Kwan O today (October 24) to gain a first-hand understanding of the department's services, latest developments and the work of its frontline staff.

Mrs Yeung and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, first met with the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok, and other directorate staff, and received a briefing on the latest developments of the department. They also met with staff representatives from various grades in the department to hear their concerns and views.

Mrs Yeung said that "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address" has put forward various initiatives to strengthen the governance capabilities and management of the civil service with a view to forming a high-quality and efficient government team. She encouraged the ImmD colleagues to stay united and continue to provide quality and efficient services with a team spirit striving for innovation and progression.

She then visited the Registration of Persons Office where ImmD staff briefed her on the self-service personal documentation services at the ImmD headquarters. The new Personal Documentation Submission Kiosks allow citizens to apply for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports on a self-service basis, and in the future, self-application services for Hong Kong identity cards will be introduced for the first time to save time and provide more convenience. The Personal Documentation Collection Kiosks integrate various functions of the existing collection kiosks. The new kiosks will further facilitate the submission of applications and collection of personal documentations in a self-service manner, thereby providing public services of higher quality.

Mrs Yeung then visited the new Marriage Registry at the headquarters. Its marriage hall adopts a novel design with various photo-taking spots set up in the outdoor area such as the heart-shaped garden for newlyweds and guests to pose for photos. It has been very popular since its opening in June this year.

During her visit, she also toured the Enterprise System Management Centre, which is responsible for monitoring the operation of the computer systems of all control points and offices. The centre operates around the clock and monitors the status of various computer systems in real time. It provides prompt response and co-ordination where necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the computer systems.

She said, "The strategic leverage of technology to streamline workflow, and digitalisation to improve the efficiency of processing document applications is both a trend and a more effective use of manpower resources. Most importantly, it brings more convenient public services and experiences to the public. In the face of enormous service demand, the ImmD's efforts in actively developing new information technology systems to enhance service quality are commendable."

SCS visits Immigration Department Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS visits Immigration Department Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS visits Immigration Department Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS visits Immigration Department Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

EDB reminds parents to choose primary schools under Central Allocation process for their children

The Education Bureau (EDB) today (January 12) reminded parents that children who have joined the Primary One Admission (POA) System for 2026 but have not yet secured a discretionary place can take part in the Central Allocation process for a Primary One (P1) place in a government or aided primary school. Parents concerned should make their choice of schools within the period from January 19 to 25.

Digitalisation of POA

---------------------------

In line with the Smart Government strategy, the EDB has fully implemented digitalisation of the POA. Parents who have registered as POA e-Platform (ePOA) users and have bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may submit the Choice of Schools Form for Central Allocation from January 19 to 25 through the ePOA. Please refer to the related videos and Parent's Guide on the EDB's website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/poa_eplatform/index.html) for details of the procedures for activating and logging into an ePOA account and for making school choices for the Central Allocation of POA via the e-Platform.

Making school choices at Central Allocation Centres

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The EDB will send letters to parents on January 14 inviting them to make their choice of schools. To cater for the needs of different parents, parents can still submit the Choice of Schools Form in paper form by visiting the designated Central Allocation Centre at the suggested time slot (i.e. 9.30am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 24 (Saturday) or 9.30am to 12.30pm on January 25 (Sunday)) stated in the letter.

Parents who are ePOA users may choose to submit the Central Allocation Application via the ePOA or in paper form to the Central Allocation Centre but should not submit duplicate applications. Parents who have not yet received the letter by January 19 should call the School Places Allocation Section of the EDB (Hotline: 2832 7700) as soon as possible.

Only one parent of an applicant child is required to complete the school choice-making procedures. Parents are advised not to take their children to the Central Allocation Centre if possible. Parents who cannot make school choices within the suggested time slot can go to the designated Central Allocation Centre from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 25. The Choice of Schools Form will be sent together with the letter to parents who have submitted a paper Application Form at the Discretionary Places stage for filling out in advance.

In the event of adverse weather or other special conditions on any day during the period of making school choices, please pay heed to radio or television announcements on the relevant special arrangements.

Unable to submit application within specified choice-making period

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For individual parents who are unable to use the ePOA or go to the Central Allocation Centre to make school choices, they can authorise in writing a representative to bring the completed Choice of Schools Form and their signed Letter of Authorisation to the Central Allocation Centre to proceed with the related procedures.

To apply for POA 2026 for their children after January 25, parents need to complete necessary procedures with the School Places Allocation Section, which will separately arrange P1 places for the applicant children in June.

Change of residential address

--------------------------------------

An EDB spokesman reminded parents that, if they have recently moved their residence or have such plans in the near future, they are required to inform the School Places Allocation Section as soon as possible so that they can make school choices in the POA School Net where their new home is located. Parents should fill in the actual residential address of their child. If they provide a false address for securing a P1 place, the POA application of their child will be rendered void and the P1 place allocated will be withdrawn.

The EDB has put in place a monitoring mechanism to verify the residential addresses of applicant children as given by the parents. Random checks have also been stepped up. The public may call the School Places Allocation Section to report suspected cases of using a false address by parents for their children's POA application. The EDB will take action against false address cases.

Mechanism of Central Allocation

----------------------------------------

Central Allocation is composed of two parts. Part A, which takes up 10 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation, is for unrestricted school choices. Parents can choose up to three government or aided primary schools in any school net. Part B takes up the remaining 90 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation. Parents of applicant children residing in the school net concerned are to select schools from the "Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (Primary One Admission 2026)" of their school net, while parents of applicant children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong are to select schools from the "2026 Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (For Applicant Children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong)". Parents should fill in the Choice of Schools Form in the order of their preference.

The mechanism of the Central Allocation is based on parents' choices in general. The computer-programmed allocation will first process the school choices in Part A and then the school choices in Part B. For oversubscribed schools, the order of priority in allocating places will be determined by random numbers generated by the computer for individual applicants to ensure fairness.

For information about the procedures for Central Allocation, please call the EDB's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.

Release of Central Allocation results

----------------------------------------------

For parents who have already activated their ePOA account via "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+", they will receive their Central Allocation results through the ePOA from 10am on June 3. Parents who wish to receive the allocation results via SMS on June 3 may choose such an option in the Choice of Schools Form. In addition, the allocation results will be sent to parents by post on June 3 and 4.

Source: AI-found images