Thousands of Hong Kong people flee their hometown since Beijing imposed a strict national security law in the area last summer
HONG KONG – Thousands of Hong Kongers have taken the sometimes painful decision to leave their hometown behind and move to Britain, as Beijing imposed a strict national security law on Chinese territory last summer. Their numbers are expected to rise to hundreds of thousands.
Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting the pro-democracy protests that swept the former British colony in 2019. Others say China’s encroachment on their way of life and civil liberties has become unbearable and they want to seek a better future for their children. abroad. Most say they have no intention of ever going back.
The moves are expected to accelerate now that 5 million Hong Kongers are eligible to apply for visas for Britain, enabling them to live, work and study there and eventually apply to become British citizens. The UK national overseas visa officially opened on Sunday, although many have already arrived on British soil to gain a head start.
The British government said about 7,000 people with British national overseas passports – a travel document that Hong Kongers could apply for before the city was handed over to Chinese control in 1997 – arrived with the previously allowed six-month visa. It is estimated that more than 300 000 people will accept the offer of extended right of residence in the next five years.
“Before the announcement of the BN (O) visa in July, we did not have many inquiries about immigration in the UK, maybe less than ten a month,” said Andrew Lo, founder of Anlex Immigration Consultants in Hong Kong. . “Now we get about 10 to 15 calls a day and ask for it.”
Mike, a photojournalist, said he planned to apply for the visa and move to Leeds with his wife and young daughter in April.
His motivation to leave Hong Kong comes after the city’s political situation deteriorated after the protest against the government and he realized that the police force in the city was not politically neutral. Police have been criticized by pro-democracy supporters for brutality and the use of excessive force.
Mike said it was important to move to Britain because he believed that the education system in Hong Kong would be affected by the political situation and that it would be better for his daughter to study in the UK.
Mike agreed to speak on condition that he be identified only by his first name for fear of official retaliation.
Lo said that with the new visa, the entry barrier to moving to the UK would be extremely low, with no requirement for language or education qualifications. According to the British government, British national overseas passport holders must prove that they have enough money to support themselves for six months and prove that they are not suffering from tuberculosis.
Currently, Lo helps three to four families a week in their move to the UK About 60% of them are families with young children, while the remaining are young couples or young professionals.
Cindy, a businesswoman in Hong Kong and the mother of two young children, arrived in London last week.
In Hong Kong, she had a comfortable lifestyle. She owned several properties with her husband and the business she ran went well. But she decided to leave it all behind because she feels that the city’s freedoms and liberties are being eroded and she wants to ensure a good future for her children.
Cindy, who spoke on the condition that she would only be identified by her first name out of concern for official retaliation, said it was important to move quickly because she feared Beijing would soon go to stop the exodus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that the visa application shows that Britain respects its “deep ties of history” with Hong Kong, which was handed over to China on the understanding that it would retain its Western stylistic freedom and much of its political autonomy on the mainland of China seen.
Beijing said on Friday that it would no longer recognize the British national overseas passport as a travel document or form of identification, and criticized Britain’s citizenship offer as a step that would seriously infringe on China’s sovereignty. It was unclear what effect the announcement would have because many Hong Kongers have multiple passports.
Beijing has drastically hardened its stance on Hong Kong after the protests turned violent in 2019 and plunged the city into a month-long crisis. Since the enactment of the Security Act, dozens of pro-democracy activists have been arrested, and the young leaders of the movement have been jailed or fled abroad.
Because the new law outlined acts of undermining, secession, conspiracy and terrorism, many in Hong Kong fear they could get into trouble by expressing any form of political opposition – even posting messages on social media.
‘It’s a unique wave of emigration – some people have not yet had time to visit the country they are moving to. Many have no experience living abroad, ”says Miriam Lo, who runs Excelsior UK, a relocation agency. “And because of the pandemic, they could not even look at a house until they decided to buy it.”
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Hui reported from London.