By Natalie Thomas and Paul Sandle
LONDON (Reuters) – London was never on Hong Konger Aragorn’s wish list of places to visit, but now the 36-year-old man is trying to build a new life in the British capital after escaping a security crackdown in his hometown.
Aragorn, who declined to give his full name and said his security would be at risk at home due to his pro-democracy activism, is one of the first Hong Kongers eligible to start a new path to becoming a British citizen.
“Of course, nobody wants to leave their country of origin and I literally miss tea with milk in Hong Kong,” he said in an interview by the River Thames, in the financial heart of the capital.
“I cannot say that we are betraying or not betraying the cause of the struggle for our own rights and for democracy (leaving). But I think you have to go on living. I mean, you have to stay alive for any reason. “
London launched the scheme for British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders after Beijing imposed a national security law last June – after months of protests – which activists say erode the freedoms promised to the territory when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Nearly 5,000 Hong Kong citizens have applied to live, work and study in Britain using new visas since the scheme opened on January 31, The Times newspaper said on Thursday.
Britain – which predicted that the scheme could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependents in the first five years – says it is fulfilling a historic and moral commitment to Hong Kong, which has become a global financial and commercial center during its more than 150 years colonial rule.
He accuses Beijing of violating the terms agreed before the transfer by introducing security laws that they say are being used to silence dissidents.
China says the visa is a violation of international law and interferes with its internal affairs.
DIFFICULT LABOR MARKET
Although the scheme removes legal barriers for Hong Kong residents, financial and social barriers remain.
Aragorn said the COVID-19 pandemic, which has vacated offices in the city for almost a year, made it difficult to find a job.
“Before leaving Hong Kong and in the first few months after my arrival in late September and early October, I was still waiting for an office job,” he said. But when England closed its doors again in November, its optimism began to wane.
“That’s why I started looking for jobs as a waiter or even a kitchen assistant in restaurants, or a bubble tea shop assistant or whatever,” he said.
Under the new rules, Hong Kong residents who hold a BNO passport will be allowed to stay for five years and then apply for “regular status” and citizenship.
A government spokeswoman said visa applicants need to demonstrate that they can support themselves and their dependents.
The government was preparing plans for the arrival of more BNO holders, she said, and local authorities in England were updated on the new immigration route.
“(We) will be communicating more with areas that may see more numbers coming in to support their planning,” she said, adding that help would be provided to access education.
FEAR OF UNCERTAINTY
Lincoln Chong, a 26-year-old student at UCL London, said his friends did not see his future in Hong Kong.
“Some of them are considering going to Canada, Taiwan, Australia. But I think at least half of them are planning to come to the UK, ”he said. “The fear of uncertainty, of the unknown, is the biggest reason why people decide to give up their lives and try to settle in this unknown place.”
Britain said there will be some costs for public services, but estimates that the visa will have a net positive impact of between £ 2.4 billion and £ 2.9 billion in five years.
Chong, for example, is confident about his prospects.
“It is relatively easy for me because I consider myself still young and I can learn things easily,” he said. “But if you ask a person in their 40s, 50s, or even like my parents’ age, retirement age, you ask them to come here and try to learn all these things, I’d say it’s a big challenge for Is it over there. “
In total, 5.4 million Hong Kong residents could be eligible for British citizenship.
“I don’t think anyone knows what the number will be in the next five years, it’s a dynamic process,” said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute of SOAS, University of London, adding that much depended on authorities in Hong Kong and China took action additional measures to contain dissent.
“The overwhelming majority of people in Hong Kong do not want to leave Hong Kong.”
(Written by Paul Sandle; Editing by Alex Richardson)