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Jess Ma

Hongkongers’ requests for help from overseas jumped 35 per cent in the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, the city’s immigration chief has revealed, attributing the rise to the war in the Middle East.
Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung said on Saturday that his department had received around 3,160 requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents overseas between January and August this year.
“The rise mainly came from the military conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. Of the rest, half involved lost identity documents,” Kwok said.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. The conflict upended global air traffic as Middle Eastern flight hubs were deemed unsafe, disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and triggered a global fuel crisis.
Tensions at the strategic strait escalated again recently, prompting Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways to further cancel flights to Dubai and Riyadh up to and including November 30.
The immigration chief urged residents to keep a close eye on their passports and other personal identity documents when travelling overseas, as a lost document could hinder a person from leaving some countries.
“It also takes time to reissue the passport. Even though Chinese consulates and the Immigration Department will endeavour to help residents, it still takes some time,” Kwok said.

He also shed light on the revamped Huanggang Port border checkpoint, the city’s second round-the-clock crossing after the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge control point.
He assured people that immigration systems had worked well during large-scale drills at the crossing over the past weeks.
The revamped Huanggang control point will be the first to use a “joint inspection” clearance model, where passengers need only present one identity document to cross the border, departing from traditional clearance methods that require travellers to clear two separate counters.
While the immigration chief said the opening date for the revamped crossing had yet to be decided, he added that city authorities and their Shenzhen counterparts had continued to make minor adjustments to various systems at the site.
Kwok said he expected the number of passengers using the revamped crossing to exceed 100,000 per day when it opened.
The department has also been testing a new “seamless” e-channel clearance lane at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge crossing since June, with an estimated 50,000 regular travellers allowed to join.
Kwok revealed that 13,000 passengers had registered for the trial, with the two “seamless” lanes used around 80,000 times so far.


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Middle East war drives 35% rise in Hongkongers’ overseas help requests

Hongkongers’ requests for help from overseas jumped 35 per cent in the first eight months of 2026. Photo: Karma Lo

Immigration chief Benson Kwok has urged residents to keep a close eye on their passports and other personal identity documents when travelling overseas. Photo: Jelly Tse

The Immigration Department received around 3,160 requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents overseas between January and August this year. Photo: Sun Yeung

Cathay Pacific extends Dubai and Riyadh flight suspension through November

Cathay Pacific Airways has delayed the resumption of passenger flights to Dubai and Riyadh until December at the earliest. Photo: Jonathan Wong

An aerial view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cathay has again delayed the resumption of flights to the Saudi capital and Dubai as renewed conflict in the region fuels uncertainty. Photo: Getty Images

What can Hong Kong travellers expect from the revamped Huanggang border crossing?

Hong Kong’s revamped Huanggang Port is set to become the city’s second round-the-clock passenger checkpoint, with new transport links and a joint immigration clearance system. Photo: Edmond So

Motorists will need to use park-and-ride facilities, as the port building will not have a car park. Photo: Handout

Travellers can use electronic immigration gates under Huanggang Port’s new joint inspection system, designed to combine Hong Kong and mainland Chinese clearance in one process. Photo: Karma Lo

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‘The rise mainly came from the military conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. Of the rest, half involved lost identity documents,’ immigration chief says


‘The rise mainly came from the military conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. Of the rest, half involved lost identity documents,’ immigration chief says.


Middle East war drives 35% rise in Hongkongers’ overseas help requests

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘The rise mainly came from the military conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. Of the rest, half involved lost identity documents,’ immigration chief says

‘The rise mainly came from the military conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. Of the rest, half involved lost identity documents,’ immigration chief says