Originally Posted by
garykung
This is my main focus of my argument - The immigration hall is not designed for waiting purposes (in fact, many Control Points in Hong Kong specify no waiting in the area). So an arriving passenger waits a friend/relative could raise questions, especially when the wait indeed results a delay in immigration inspection.
There is a difference between waiting inside and outside the restricted area. While the CFA has only provided an overview, I don't believe it is unreasonable to interpret that the bolded phrase apply to outside restricted area only.
I'm really starting to wonder how often some of the posters on this thread have actually travelled through HKG. Clearly parts of the arrival track
are "designed for waiting purposes," which is why there's an open area with shops and a cafe or two before you reach the immigration checkpoint. What kind of a "delay in immigration inspection" exactly is sitting in a Pret going to cause?
OP has raised a very simple question, and the simple answer is yes, it will be possible to wait to meet a friend in the arrival track for a few minutes. I'll look forward to OP reporting back that this has happened without a problem.