With her multi-entry tourist permit, Shenzhen resident Ms. Wu crosses the checkpoint every day to drop off and pick up her child who attends school in Hong Kong.
However, due to a new policy effective immediately, she will have to consider applying for a family visit permit instead of simply renewing her current one.
The Ministry of Public Security announced Monday that it will stop issuing unlimited multiple-entry tourist passes to Shenzhen residents and instead issue new once-a-week entry permits starting Monday.
Holders of the new visa may travel to Hong Kong once a week, with a maximum stay of seven days each time, said Shenzhen police. The multi-entry passes already issued will be valid until expiration.
The local police said in an official statement that increasing numbers of tourists have put pressure on the entry and exit points, exceeding the Asian financial hub's capacity. As a result, the central government decided to "optimize and adjust travel policies for Shenzhen residents."
The unlimited multi-entry passes were introduced on a pilot basis in April 2009 at the request of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government.
According to Hong Kong media reports, more than 800,000 Shenzhen residents applied for the travel permit in the following year and made more than 6 million trips between the two metropolises. Shenzhen has a total population of 3.1 million.
The previous policy helped promote economic development and job growth in Hong Kong as well as communication between the two cities, according to the statement.
Ms. Wu said she worries that without the unlimited multi-entry pass, she might run into trouble if something unexpected happens to her child in Hong Kong.
"Fortunately, I can apply for a family visit permit instead," she said. "Actually, many mothers of cross-border children already have it."
According to official data, there are at least 16,000 "cross-border kids" with Hong Kong IDs living in Shenzhen with their parents.
Ms. Wang welcomes the change.
"With fewer traders queuing at the port, our clearance will be easier and faster," said Wang, who holds a family visit pass and sends her five-year-old daughter to school in Hong Kong.
