Hong Kong Migrants Find U.K. Is a World Turned Upside-Down

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(Bloomberg) — Crystal Lau’s parents fled mainland China for Hong Kong when she was a child. Thirty years later she and her husband, Davy, have made a longer journey. They are making a new home in the city of Sheffield, in the north of England, where they have set up a food-delivery business.

The divisions wracking Hong Kong followed the couple to the U.K. After the Laus, both aged 33, posted online about a pro-democracy protest they attended in the U.K., they and their business became a target for angry mainland Chinese. Harassment forced them to de-list from a popular delivery app.

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One year after the U.K. opened up a path to citizenship for an estimated 2.9 million Hong Kongers and their dependants, official figures showed that 103,900 people applied for a British National (Overseas) visa during 2021. That’s lower than government estimates and does not indicate how many actually arrived in the country.

Most who did come are taking big risks to escape China’s increasingly authoritarian grip and Hong Kong’s strict Covid-zero policy. Many with significant savings and assets bet the house on their move: Of 10 people interviewed by Bloomberg News for this story, most sold everything before arriving in the U.K., cashing in on savings that ranged from HK$500,000 to HK$5 million ($64,000 to $640,000).

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Bankers Abandon Hong Kong as Beijing and Covid Remake the City

Like Crystal and Davy Lau, they are now discovering benefits and drawbacks to life in the U.K. Many now run small businesses or work in unfamiliar roles, often earning lower salaries despite experience and qualifications.

They now have more space to live in, but earn much less money. There is more freedom, and more uncertainty on what to do with it. While the circumstances are different, the experiences of Hong Kongers are emerging as the U.K. prepares to allow Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion to enter and work in the country.

The Laus, like others already in the U.K. and many still in Hong Kong, feel they have little choice. “Hong Kong is getting worse, we can’t see the possibility of returning to the past,” Davy Lau said. 

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The Lifelong Learner

Angie Chan and her husband bought a house in Reading, west of London, after selling their Hong Kong apartment for more than HK$4 million.

“It’s not easy learning new skills when you’re middle-aged,” said Chan, who is learning to drive at the age of 42.

Once an enthusiastic learner and then teacher of Mandarin, she now rejects the language of mainland China. “So when I moved, I stopped speaking Mandarin. I realized that my identity is a Hong Konger. Hong Kongers speak Cantonese.”

Chan fits the profile of many BNO applicants. Most new arrivals are aged between 35 and 54 years old, 72% are married and 60% have one or more children, according to findings of a U.K. Home Office study, released in January. Almost 70% have a degree.

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The proceeds of their property sale helped Chan and her husband, Stephen, move to a three-bedroom home with a garden. Stephen managed to keep his IT job, working remotely, but has taken a 50% pay cut.

Chan has no regrets. “Everything is worth it because we have our freedom here.”

The Family Man

Steven, who asked us not to reveal his real name, arrived in the U.K. in Dec. 2020 and applied for the BNO visa while in the country. 

“Now everyday, we prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, alongside doing daily house chores. These are all new experiences for Hong Kongers.”

Life for Steven and his family has radically changed from their days in Hong Kong, where he and his wife earned more than HK$1 million combined. Long workdays meant little time with their three-year-old daughter. Now, instead of others taking care of the child, Steven’s wife takes her to school and he picks her up.

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That work-life balance could attract more Hong Kongers. A study by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford found that as many as 40% of those eligible are either considering a move to the U.K. or have already applied. Those potential moves could happen over a prolonged period lasting up to and beyond 10 years, the study of 1,000 people showed.

People born after 1997 — many of whom took part in pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019 — were largely left out of the program when it launched. As a result, some sought asylum in the U.K. while others remain in Hong Kong and fear for their safety. 

In a statement to Parliament on Feb. 24, the U.K. government outlined plans to widen the program to include those aged over 18 who were born after 1997 — as long as they have one eligible parent. An official assessment published in Oct. 2020 estimated that this group could include as many as 187,000 Hong Kongers.

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The Teenage Asylum-Seeker

Hei Yin Ngan, 19, traveled to the U.K. in June 2021 and is seeking asylum. Born after 1997, he has been ineligible for BNO program so far.

“Under the BNO scheme, I can’t apply if my relatives like mum and dad are not with me in the U.K., so I can’t apply on my own. I can only go to the asylum scheme,” Hei said. 

Many arrivals from Hong Kong are already building communities in Britain, around London and in several of England’s biggest cities. For asylum-seekers like Hei, life throws up different problems.

“I’ve been to Oxford, I have been to Nottingham, I’ve been to London and I will go to Manchester for living. I have moved four times in half a year.”

Hei says his age makes him currently ineligible for a long-term visa, and that finding work is hard. “Most of us are below 23 years old,” he said of those who don’t qualify for the program. With limited skills and education, friends have turned to the unofficial labor market. “Some of them are washing dishes in restaurants, some of them working for construction sites.”

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Hei welcomed the U.K. decision to widen the BNO program, but said young people need more financial help. “We need to have some support for the visa fees and the NHS [healthcare] fees,” he said. Those fees run to almost 3,500 pounds, and guarantees are required to prove an ability to pay rent. That will make it hard for some young Hong Kongers to choose even the new expanded BNO route, Hei said. 

“We want to contribute to U.K. society as well, we left Hong Kong because we were forced to do so. I am alone here in the U.K., and of course I miss my family and friends, but there is a universal value for me to chase after.”

The Scrimper and Saver

Ada (not her real name) spoke to Bloomberg News for a 2021 story. She has an approved visa but is struggling to save enough money to move. 

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“I applied for BNO in advance. At that time, I was worried about the political environment in Hong Kong. Now I am still worried about it,” Ada said in a new interview.

As a teacher, Ada began making plans to leave when Hong Kong’s government instructed schools to adopt a pro-China curriculum. “I didn’t intend to leave last year, but I applied early because I was worried that the visa policy would change.” 

Her plans are complicated by her father’s kidney disease and by financial worries. Ada wants to save another HK$300,000 to ensure she has enough cash to survive in the U.K. She wants to move within five years, but is currently saving at about half the rate she needs. 

She fears it will be hard to find work in Britain, and that she might need to pay for accommodation without earning a salary. Her attitude has changed since getting the visa, “from optimism to pessimism,” she said. 

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“The internet or the media say that there are many difficulties in working or adapting,” Ada said. As more Hong Kongers head to the U.K., feedback gets more realistic. “But it is also worrying.”

The Cultural Misfit

Ho moved on his own at the height of the pandemic and currently has a BNO visa valid for two and a half years. 

“Lifestyle-wise, it has been quite some change. In Hong Kong basically every weekend I’ll kill time by walking around Causeway Bay or Cityplaza, with all the shopping malls, and cinemas that have movies I like,” Ho said. The pandemic meant it took him 15 months before he saw a movie on the big screen in Britain. And he now cooks every meal at home instead of eating out regularly.

He has nevertheless been urging others to make their move, but doubts that all of those waiting for the right moment will make it out. “Hong Kong is cutting flights, making new laws. No one can tell when it is too late.”

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Despite all this, Ho misses Hong Kong, where he grew up and felt at home. “Basically, I still spend a lot of time spent reading news on Hong Kong. I can’t say I’m much happier,” Ho said.

“I’m seriously considering moving to Vancouver just for better Japanese and Hong Kong food.”

Hong Kong and the BNO Visa: What Happens Next?

As financially secure Hong Kongers adjust to life in the U.K., would-be BNOs with fewer savings will face tricky decisions. It is not clear how many of them will make the move to Britain.

“Hong Kongers who will use the BNO visa in the next four years include those who are facing immediate threats, self-employed, who have similar income levels after moving to the U.K. and those who may retire soon,” said Margaret Szeto, founder of Hong Kong-based migration consultancy Aura Global Ltd.

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The bigger legacy could be international acceptance of Hong Kong migration. If the U.S., Canada, and Australia follow Britain’s lead — which would require a sizeable widening of current plans — Szeto believes that fewer than 200,000 Hong Kongers will move to the U.K., well below the official estimate of more than 300,000.

In the final reckoning Hong Kong will not necessarily suffer, according to Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, who believes that qualified mainland Chinese will replace those who depart,

The expansion of the BNO program, though, should help those younger people “most exposed to the punishment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.” The U.K. decision makes sense if it wants to do more than merely fulfil moral obligations dating back to its colonial rule, Tsang said.

“The expansion of the scheme will increase the number of applicants. The number may not be huge. But it will provide a safe haven to those most in need of it.”

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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