Director of Immigration Lai Tung-kwok yesterday said a joint inspection building was being built in Shenzhen to house co-located immigration and customs facilities at the Western Corridor.

Even though the building is located on mainland territory, Hong Kong law will be applied in the Hong Kong part of the building, Lai said.

The building will include 50 immigration counters and 30 electronic channels, allowing passengers to screen their identity card and finger print for immigration procedures.

The department will hire an additional 300 staff to man the new facilities, and extra manpower will be deployed from other border crossing checkpoints if the corridor is overcrowded.

Lai said Hong Kong authorities were empowered to enforce Hong Kong laws should illegal operations be carried out in the Hong Kong part of the facilities.

"Certain part of the terminal building at the Western Corridor will be classified as an area that is subject to Hong Kong laws. This is similar to the arrangement of Lo Wu Bridge," he said.

"It depends on where the crime is committed. If it takes place in Hong Kong area, then Hong Kong laws will be applied," he said.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) on Tuesday approved the one-stop clearance for the corridor with 143 votes, authorizing the SAR government to manage the Hong Kong side of the facilities according to Hong Kong law, as a restricted zone across the border.

The 5.5-kilometre corridor linked Shekou Dongjiaotou in Shenzhen with Ngau Hom Shek in northwestern New Territories.

Hong Kong would bear the costs of the design and construction of the SAR's boundary-crossing facilities. An estimated HK$2.35 billion was approved by the Legislative Council for the project.

Similar to the arrangement in Lo Wu checkpoint, passengers using the corridor will only be asked to get off their cars once for immigration and customs clearance. Passengers going north will proceed to Hong Kong's clearance first, then walk through a 70 to 80-metre corridor before Shenzhen clearance.

The one-stop arrangement could save passengers travel time as they do not have to get off their cars twice for clearance of the two places, which is done at Lok Ma Chau/ Huanggang checkpoint.

On completion of the corridor, travelling time from Shekou to Hong Kong's Route 3 would only take 20 minutes.

Lai believed the corridor could ease congestion faced by other checkpoints.

Savantas Policy Institute director and former Secretary for Security Regina Ip said the NPCSC decision had tackled the legal dispute.

Ip had handled one-stop clearance arrangement during her tenure in government office. "The decision allows Hong Kong law to be applied in the checkpoint outside the border. Illegal events could be handled based on Hong Kong's Public Order Ordinance," she said.

The corridor is expected to be completed before July 1, 2007.