About 7,000 Hong Kong residents have fled to the UK since China imposed a national security law in Hong Kong and the British government expects more than 300,000 to obtain extended residence rights over the next five years, by AP.
Why it matters: The announcement comes as the UK opens the new visa scheme on Sunday – the day after China said it would no longer recognize Hong Kong’s British National Overseas (BNO) passports as valid travel documents or proof of identity. .
Driving the news: The UK government announced last July when the security law approved the new path to British citizenship for Hong Kong citizens who qualify for BNO status, which was granted to those who lived in the city before the British government returned it. his former colony to China in 1997.
- According to the offer, these Hong Kong residents and their dependents have the right to stay in the UK for five years, during which they can work or study.
- They would then be allowed to apply for “established status” and, after an additional year, obtain citizenship, notes Axios Dave Lawler.
The big picture: Some Hong Kong residents have told the AP that they are leaving because they fear they will be punished for supporting the pro-democracy protest movement – which has seen several prominent figures being arrested or imprisoned in recent months.
- “Many others” said that China’s erosion of the high degree of autonomy they once enjoyed has become “unbearable” and they want their children to have a better future.
- “Most say they never plan to go back,” notes the AP.