But the HKSAR government--claiming that Hong Kong could not absorb them--created a permanent residency permit which they must apply for, thus depriving them of a right guaranteed in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. This created the regret-table precedent of "the rule of men" taking priority over "the rule of law," and of administrative decisions overriding constitutional provisions.
特區政府以香港不能「概括承受」作理由，弄個居留權證明書，便把他們在中英聯合聲明及基本法中所賦予的權利不設時限地剝奪了，開創人治大於法治、特區法凌駕憲法的惡例。