Why enough Hong Kongers to fill Belfast, possibly flights to the UK

Photographer: Paul Yeung / Bloomberg

When the UK begins accepting special visa applications from Hong Kong residents on Sunday, Chen will be among the first. The 40-year-old former Airbnb host believes time is running out as local officials are pushing for action to discourage people from relocating to their former colonial homeland.

“If we don’t leave now, many of us will never be able to leave,” Chen, who asked not to be identified by his full name for fear of government retaliation, said Thursday in an interview. He and his wife plan to leave and immediately hope to settle in Brighton, because “like Hong Kong it is close to the sea”.

The UK expects that around 322,000 Hong Kong residents who have special passports created before the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997 will benefit from the new road to citizenship over the next five years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government announced the visa program for UK national (overseas) passport holders in July after Beijing was accused of violating the terms of the Hong Kong handover by enacting a strict national security law.

Such an exodus – equivalent to about 4% of Hong Kong’s population – could have a profound impact on both Hong Kong and the UK, just after the break with the European Union. The departure could result in a capital outflow of HK $ 280 billion ($ 36 billion), according to a Bank of America report published earlier this month. The expected number of immigrants would be almost as large as the population of Belfast.

“We have honored our deep history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy – values ​​that are highly valued by both the UK and Hong Kong,” Johnson said in a statement. statement Friday. Under the plan, BN (O) holders can settle down after five years and apply for full citizenship, provided they can meet strict health and financial requirements on initial application.

Sudden peak

The British government has already issued a record number of BNO passports this year

Source: UK Government

The geopolitical implications could also be significant, as it is the most tangible protest yet against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s campaign to quell dissent in the troubled Asian financial center. China has denounced the program as a violation of the Thatcher era pledges against mass citizenship for Hong Kong residents, and some pro-Beijing officials have called for banning or banning BN (O) holders from public office. take their Chinese citizenship away – possibly leave stateless.

‘Serious concern’

“The Chinese side has repeatedly expressed serious concern and strong opposition and will certainly respond with countermeasures,” said the Chinese Embassy in London. said in a statement Friday. China’s Foreign Ministry said separately that it will not recognize the passports as travel documents.

The UK said it was “disappointed but not surprised” by the State Department’s announcement and said BN (O) passport holders could use other documentation to receive the visa. Hong Kong residents usually travel in and out of the city with their local ID card.

“People with BN (O) status now have the choice to come and live, work and study in the UK,” the London Foreign Office said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming those who wish to settle here.”

While Hong Kong has endured several waves of migration since the UK captured the trading post during the Opium Wars 180 years ago, its population has continued to grow to 7.5 million.

Immigration

Millions of Chinese poured into the city in the decades after the Communist Party took power in 1949 and some emigrated after the Tiananmen Square crackdown sparked concerns about the transfer. In the years since, more than a million Chinese have moved to the mainland.

As many as 5.2 million people may be eligible for the BN (O) visa, a figure equivalent to more than two-thirds of the Hong Kong population.

‘A lot this time to feel that there is no home to return to, ”said Victoria Hui, an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in Hong Kong politics. “So far Beijing seems okay to get a ‘blood transfusion’ by bringing in money and mainland to fill the void. Beijing doesn’t mind people leaving Hong Kong, as long as the city itself continues to enjoy all the benefits of an international financial center. “

Hong Kong has toned down the threat, with top advisor Bernard Chan predicting it would be “much, much smaller ”than predicted and that those who do leave will either return or be replaced by mainlanders. Beijing-backed leader of the city, Carrie Lam, on Thursday attempted to recast Beijing’s national security law as a reason to stay. She wondered if residents would want to give up local health care for the UK National Health Service under pandemic pressure.

“What if I get arrested?”

“Most importantly, we tell the people of Hong Kong that Hong Kong’s future looks bright and the business outlook is good,” Lam said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “Concerns about street violence and social unrest and intimidation have diminished significantly.”

The security laws, which the Xi government imposed on Hong Kong in June without public debate, was the main concern of potential applicants interviewed by Bloomberg. Some with children said they were especially concerned about the political pressure on the schools, with the government promising to cut off the ‘black hands’ in the education system and revoking teachers’ certificates for discussing topics such as Hong Kong’s independence in the classroom.

“What if I get arrested for saying something to the government while teaching, or even chatting with colleagues?” said Wong, a 34-year-old education administrator and part-time English teacher who plans to leave. A WhatsApp group dedicated to helping educators acquire skills and certifications to secure a job in the UK has more than 100 members.

Passport Applications Surge