Thousands of Hong Kong people flee their hometown since Beijing imposed a strict national security law on the territory last summer
HONG KONG – Thousands of Hong Kongers have already made the sometimes painful decision to leave their hometown behind and move to Britain since Beijing imposed a strict national security law on Chinese territory last summer. Their number is expected to increase to hundreds of thousands.
Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting the pro-democracy protests that ravaged the former British colony in 2019. Others say China’s invasion of its lifestyle and civil liberties is has become unbearable and they want to look for a better future for their children. abroad. Most say they never plan to go back.
Movements are expected to accelerate now that five million Hong Kongers are eligible to apply for visas in Britain, which will allow them to live, work and study there and eventually apply to be British citizens. British Overseas National Visa applications officially opened on Sunday, although many have already arrived in British territory to begin in advance.
The British government said some 7,000 people with British overseas national passports, a travel document that Hong Kongers could apply for before the city surrendered to Chinese control in 1997, have arrived since July with the visa of six months allowed previously. It is estimated that more than 300,000 people will accept the offer of extended residency rights over the next five years.
“Before the announcement of the BN (O) visa in July, we didn’t have many UK immigration consultations, maybe less than ten a month,” said Andrew Lo, founder of Anlex Immigration Consultants in Hong Kong. “We now get between 10 and 15 calls a day asking about it.”
Mike, a photojournalist, said he plans to apply for the visa and move to Leeds with his wife and young daughter in April.
His motivation for leaving Hong Kong came after the city’s political situation deteriorated after anti-government protests and he realized that the city’s police force was not politically neutral. Democracy supporters have criticized the police for brutality and the use of excessive violence.
Mike said the move to Britain was important as he believed Hong Kong’s education system would be affected by the political situation and that his daughter would be better off studying in the UK.
Mike agreed to speak on the condition that he be identified only by his name for fear of official retaliation.
He said that with the new visa, the barrier to entry to move to the UK becomes extremely low, with no language or educational qualification requirements. Holders of British national overseas passports must prove they have enough money to stay for six months and prove they have no tuberculosis, according to the UK government.
Currently, Lo helps between three and four families a week in their move to the UK. About 60% of these are families with young children, while the rest are young couples or young professionals.
Cindy, a Hong Kong businesswoman and mother of two young children, arrived in London last week.
In Hong Kong he had a comfortable lifestyle. She owned several properties with her husband and the business she ran was going well. But he decided to give it all up because he felt the freedoms and liberties of the city were eroding and he wanted to ensure a good future for his children.
Cindy, who spoke on the condition that she be identified only by her name for official retaliation, said it was important to move quickly as she feared Beijing would move soon to stop the exodus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that the visa offer shows Britain is honoring its “deep ties of history” with Hong Kong, which was handed over to China on the understanding that it would keep its freedoms in style. Western and much of its political autonomy. seen in mainland China.
Beijing said on Friday that it would no longer recognize the British overseas national passport as a travel document or form of identification, and criticized the offer of British citizenship as a measure that “seriously infringed” Chinese sovereignty. It was unclear what effect the announcement would have because many Hong Kongers carry multiple passports.
Beijing has drastically tightened its stance in Hong Kong after the 2019 protests turned violent and plunged the city into a crisis of months. Since the enactment of the security law, dozens of pro-democracy activists have been arrested and young leaders of the movement have been imprisoned or fled abroad.
Because the new law broadly defines acts of subversion, secession, foreign collusion, and terrorism, many in Hong Kong fear that expressing any form of political opposition (even posting on social media) could put them in trouble.
“This is a truly unique wave of emigration: some people have not had time to visit the country where they are moving. Many have no experience living abroad, ”said Miriam Lo, who runs Excelsior UK, a relocation agency. “And because of the pandemic, they couldn’t even come and see a house before they decided to buy it.”
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Today reported from London.