The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has revealed that it is still reviewing 211 temporary residency renewal applications involving 403 individuals.
In November of last year Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, noted that there were more than 600 pending applications for renewal of residence permits for qualified non-resident professionals that still have to be evaluated and approved, with procedures to be sped up.
Under its Temporary Residency Regime for Investors, Management and Technical Personnel, the Macau SAR Government approved 2,084 temporary residency applications for technicians with special qualifications from 2005 to 2019.
Education professionals represented the largest percentage of approved applicants, almost 36.2 per cent, followed by architecture (20.5 per cent) and aviation (10.3 per cent).
However, since the release of a Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) investigation report in 2018 concerning the scheme and subsequent corruption investigation over the former IPIM President Jackson Chang the department has conducted an internal audit over the respective schemes which has delayed the renewal of several applications.
The investigation led to several charges being forward against the former IPIM President for allegedly benefiting from fraudulent residence permits, but ended with the former government official acquitted of charges for power abuse, corruption and criminal association and handed a two-year jail term for breach of secrecy and inexact asset declaration.
However, shortly after the verdict, the CCAC revealed that it identified three more fraud cases involving the use of forged documents to apply for residency through the IPIM investment immigration scheme.
The internal audit has left many IPIM residence permit holders in legal limbo, some for almost three years, with their current residence status not allowing for the use of some basic services in the city.
In its recent announcement, the department underlined that the current government has been ‘strictly following the current laws and regulations to analyse and assess each application according to the actual situation of applicants’ when handling temporary residency renewal applications.
‘The Macau SAR Government assesses the following six major aspects while analysing new applications based on a technical qualification: Educational background; Professional qualification, publication and award; Work experience; Job position; Basic salary; Status of the Macau society and economy, as well as the city’s needs,’ the department stated.
For IPIM the assessment aims at ensuring that the approved applicants are with exceptional qualities and will benefit Macau’s growth.
‘In consideration of the needs of the society, the current SAR Government is now studying a new talent admission policy as it is considered a measure necessary to the diversified development of Macao’s economy. As a result, the assessment of new applications will be carried out according to the standard of future talent development,’ the department added.
