Canada warns citizens they may be banned from leaving Hong Kong

Thursday, Canada warned its citizens that Hong Kong authorities could prevent them from leaving the city under a new law that raised fears of a ban on exit from the region, according to procedures applied in mainland China.

The law, which gives the head of immigration the power to prevent people from boarding flights to and from the city, went into effect on Sunday.

"Under this amendment, people, including foreigners, may not be able to leave the country," the account dedicated to providing advice to travelers in Canada said on Twitter.

The tweet referred to an updated notice published by Ottawa on Tuesday that talked about these particular new rules.

"You may not realize that you are subject to movement restrictions until you attempt to leave Hong Kong," the warning said.

"In the absence of clarifying legislation, these new powers may include investigations into a person, their family, or an employer as well as criminal and civil matters," he added.

Chinese authorities often use "exit bans" against activists who defy them, as well as against businessmen involved in trade disputes.

Western countries, including the United States and Britain, have criticized the law, but Canada is the first country to explicitly mention the danger of an exit ban in a travel advisory.

The Hong Kong government says the law will not apply to people leaving the city and aims to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the city.

But the wording of the text does not limit the powers to flights or the arrival of migrants. Legal experts say it could apply to anyone trying to leave Hong Kong as well.

To address these concerns, the Hong Kong government said in April it would draft additional legislation specifying that the law would only apply to inbound flights into the city.