Number of new residents set to grow for first time in 8 years

The number of people to be granted residency status in Macau is set to grow this year for the first time since 2009, according to information provided to the Times by the Public Security Police Force (PSP).

According to the PSP, a total of 1,117 people were newly granted authorization to reside in Macau (commonly known as residency) between January and September 2017. Extrapolated to December 31, 2017, a total of 1,489 people are likely to be granted residency, slightly more than the 1,447 approved last year.

This marks the first annual increase in the number of new residents to the territory since the 2008/09 years, which themselves might be considered outliers to a trend starting as early as 2005.

According to figures published in the Macau SAR’s annual Yearbook of Statistics, 11,395 people were granted authorization to reside in Macau in 2005, when the city’s population stood at around 488,000. Five years later, the annual number of people granted residency had slumped 60 percent, despite a 10 percent growth in the city’s population.

That trend continued between 2011 and 2016, during which time the city’s population grew by about 100,000 people, and the administration granted around 8,300 the right to abode.

In 2008 and 2009, the number of people granted residency were 7,917 and 9,489 respectively, higher than that of 2007 (6,115), but significantly lower that that of 2005 (11,395). The trend reversal, which runs contrary to the 12 years between 2005 and 2017, might be explained by a series of then newly-opened integrated resorts – including The Venetian Macao, Wynn Macau and MGM Macau – which called for an influx of thousands of workers.

Of the 1,447 individuals granted residency in 2016, Hong Kong (550), mainland China (222), Taiwan (124) and Portugal (150) were the most common countries or territories of origin. Approximately 43 percent of non-resident workers in the territory resided in neighboring Zhuhai, due to the comparatively lower living costs.

According to the PSP, individuals granted the right to abode in the MSAR this year included those applying for family union, those granted approval by the Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Portuguese nationals and minors of Macau residents who were born outside of Macau.