LONDON – Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business. But last year it was decided to leave everything behind and move his family to Britain, and not even a global pandemic would influence his decision.
“Rooting in this way is definitely not easy. But things got uglier last year, the government really pushed us away, ”said the businesswoman and the mother of two young children who did not give her last name because she feared the repercussions of speaking out against the Chinese government. “Everything we value – freedom of speech, fair elections, freedoms – has been eroded. It is no longer Hong Kong that we knew, it is no longer a place where we can call home.
Cindy, who landed in London last week, is one of thousands of Hong Kongers fleeing her hometown since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the territory last summer.
Some are leaving because they fear punishment to support pro-democracy protests. But many others, like her, say China’s rape of their lifestyle and civil liberties has become unbearable and they want to seek a better future for their children abroad. Most say they never plan to go back.
Many confirmed their plans to leave after Britain announced in July that it would open a special immigration route so that up to 5 million eligible Hong Kongs could live, work and eventually settle in the UK.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that the offer demonstrates that Britain honors its “deep ties of history” with Hong Kong, a former colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, understanding it would maintain its freedoms in the western style and much of its history. political autonomy not seen in mainland China.
British Overseas National Visa applications officially open on Sunday, although many like Wong have already arrived in Britain to start in advance. Currently, eligible Hong Kongers can come to the UK for six months, but from Sunday they can apply for the right to live and work in the country for five years. After that, they can apply for settlement status and British citizenship.
The British government said that since July some 7,000 people have arrived with the status of British National Overseas (BNO) It is estimated that more than 300,000 people will accept the offer of extended residence rights in the next five years.
Wong said he wanted to leave as soon as possible because he feared Beijing would move soon to stop the exodus.
“The Chinese government said it has not ruled out tougher tactics,” he said. “I think they could be missing out if tens of thousands of young professionals started leaving, because that would surely upset Hong Kong’s economy and they wouldn’t like it at all.”
Beijing said on Friday that it would no longer recognize the BNO passport as a travel document or form of identification and criticized the offer of British citizenship as a measure that “severely violated” 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 massive anti-government protests of 2019 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.
“I think if you knew when to shut up, you’ll be fine staying in Hong Kong,” said Fan, 39, who also recently arrived in London. Like Wong, he did not want to provide his full name. “I do not want to do that. I can complain about the queen if I want to … I can say anything here. “
Fan, an animator, had sold his flat in Hong Kong and plans to slowly build a new life in Britain, a country he had never visited before. He will not be alone from scratch.
“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.”
The British government estimates that there are 2.9 million eligible BNO status holders to move to the UK, with 2.3 million eligible dependents. The UK introduced BNO passports in the 1980s for people who were “citizens of dependent British territories by connection to Hong Kong”. Until recently, passports had limited benefits because they did not confer nationality or the right to live and work in Britain.
Cindy, the businesswoman, was still recovering from the jetlag, but is optimistic about her future.
“We want to bring Hong Kong’s energy, our resources and our finances here,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. But we also want to build a new life for ourselves here. “