During a press conference on October 18, the National Immigration Administration announced key data regarding immigration management for the third quarter of 2024. According to the report, immigration agencies across the country recorded a total of 160 million entries and exits, marking a significant year-on-year increase of 30.1%.
Breaking down the numbers, 78.5 million were mainland residents, 64.7 million were residents from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and 16.4 million were foreign nationals. These figures represented year-on-year increases of 27.3%, 28.9%, and an impressive 50.5%, respectively. Additionally, the total number of transport vehicles checked for entry and exit reached approximately 8.4 million, also showing a 31.1% increase.
In terms of documentation, the administration issued around 5.99 million regular passports and processed 26.6 million endorsements for mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, with increases of 28.5% and 4.7%, respectively. Moreover, the total number of visas issued to foreign nationals rose by 32.7%, reaching 807,000.
The third quarter also saw immigration enforcement agencies tackling over 9,800 cases related to violations of national border management, leading to the arrest of more than 28,000 suspects and the dismantling of 223 criminal groups. In their efforts to combat crime in border regions, authorities seized 2.4 tons of various drugs and 35.4 tons of drug-making materials, alongside 409 firearms and over 13,000 rounds of ammunition, with the total value of smuggled goods amounting to approximately 101 million yuan.
