Thousands flee Hong Kong to the UK for fear of Chinese repression

Thousands of Hong Kong residents have been fleeing 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 enacted 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 retribution for supporting the pro-democracy protests involving the former British colony in 2019. Others say the Chinese violation of their way of life and civil liberties has become unbearable, and they want to demand a better future for their children abroad Most say they do not plan to ever return.

Movements are expected to accelerate now that 5 million Hong Kongers are eligible to apply for visas in Britain, allowing them to live, work and study there and eventually apply to become British citizens. British National Overseas visa applications officially opened on Sunday, though many have already arrived on British soil to begin the process.

The Britains government said about 7,000 people with British National Passports Abroad a travel document to which Hong Kongers could apply before the city was handed over to Chinese control in 1997 have arrived since July on the previously allowed six-month visa. It is estimated that over 300,000 people will receive the extended residence permit offer in the next five years.

Prior to the announcement of the BN (O) visa in July, we did not have many questions about immigration to the UK, perhaps less than 10 a month, said Andrew Lo, founder of Anlex Immigration Consultants in Hong Kong. Now we get about 10 to 15 phone calls a day asking about it.

Mike, a photojournalist, said he plans to apply for a visa and move to Leeds with his wife and daughter in April.

His motivation for leaving Hong Kong came after the political situation of the cities deteriorated after anti-government protests and he realized that the city police force was not politically neutral. Police have been criticized by pro-democracy supporters for brutality and the use of excessive violence.

Mike said the move to Britain was important as he believed the education system in Hong Kong would be affected by the political situation and 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 barrier to entry to move to the UK becomes extremely low, with no language or education qualification requirements. Holders of British National Passport Abroad must prove they have enough money to support themselves for six months and prove they are free of tuberculosis, according to the UK government.

Currently, Lo assists three to four families a week in moving to the UK. About 60% of them 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 she had a comfortable lifestyle. She had several properties with her husband and the business she ran was going well. But she decided to give it all up after feeling that the liberties and freedoms of the cities were being eroded and she wanted to secure a better future for her children.

Cindy, who spoke on condition that she be identified only by her name out of concern for official revenge, said it was important to move quickly as she feared Beijing would soon move to stop the exodus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week the visa offer shows that Britain is honoring its deep historical ties with Hong Kong, which surrendered to China with the understanding that it would preserve its Western-style freedoms and much of its political autonomy since mainland China is no longer seen.

Beijing said Friday it would no longer recognize the British National Passport abroad as a travel document or form of identification and criticized the offer of Britains citizenship as a move that seriously undermined China’s sovereignty. It was unclear what effect the announcement would have, as many Hong Kongers held many passports.

Beijing has drastically toughened its stance on Hong Kong as the 2019 protests turned violent and plunged the city into a months-long crisis. Since the passage of the security laws, dozens of pro-democracy activists have been arrested and the new movement leaders have either been jailed or deported.

Because the new law widely defined acts of subversion, secession, foreign cooperation and terrorism, many in Hong Kong fear that expressing any form of political opposition or even posting messages on social media could bring them into trouble. .

This is a truly unique wave of immigration that some people have not had time to visit the country to which they have relocated. Many have no experience of living abroad, said Miriam Lo, who runs Excelsior UK, a relocation agency. And because of the pandemic, they could not even come to see a house before deciding to buy.

Hui reported from London.