LONDON (AP) – Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good deal. But last year she decided to leave everything behind and move her family to Britain, and not even a global pandemic would influence her decision.
“Uprooting us like this is definitely not easy. But things got uglier last year, the government was really pushing us away, ”said the businesswoman and mother of two young children who did not reveal their last name for fear of repercussions for speaking out against the Chinese government. “Everything we value – freedom of expression, fair elections, freedoms – has been eroded. It is no longer Hong Kong that we knew, it is no longer a place that we can call home. “
Cindy, who landed in London last week, is one of thousands of Hong Kong residents fleeing their hometown since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law in the territory last summer.
Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting pro-democracy protests. But many others, like her, say that China’s invasion of their way of life and civil liberties has become unbearable and they want to look for a better future for their children abroad. Most say they do not plan to return ever again.
Many signed their exit plans after Britain announced in July that it would open a special immigration path for up to 5 million Hong Kong residents to live, work and eventually settle in the UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that the offer shows that Britain is honoring its “deep history ties” with Hong Kong, a former colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 because it understood it would maintain its freedoms of style and much of its political autonomy not seen in mainland China.
British National Overseas visa applications officially open on Sunday, although many like Cindy have already arrived on British soil to begin with. Qualified Hong Kong residents can currently come to the UK for six months, but from Sunday they can apply for the right to live and work in the country for five years. After that, they can apply for established status and then British citizenship.
The British government said about 7,000 people with British National Overseas (BNO) status have arrived since July. He estimates that more than 300,000 people will accept the offer of extended residence rights over the next five years.
Cindy said she wanted to leave as soon as possible because she feared Beijing would move soon to contain the exodus.
“The Chinese government said it has not ruled out tougher tactics,” she said. “I think they could attack if tens of thousands of young professionals start to leave, because it would certainly affect Hong Kong’s economy and they would not like it at all.”
Beijing said on Friday that it would no longer recognize the BNO passport as a travel document or form of identification and criticized the offer of British citizenship as a measure that “seriously infringed” China’s sovereignty. It was unclear what effect the ad would have because many Hong Kongers carry several passports.
Beijing dramatically toughened its stance in Hong Kong after massive anti-government protests in 2019 turned violent and plunged the city into a crisis of months. Since the enactment of the security law, dozens of pro-democracy activists have been arrested and young movement leaders have been arrested or fled abroad.
As the new law broadly defined acts of subversion, secession, foreign collusion and terrorism, many in Hong Kong fear that expressing any form of political opposition – even posting messages on social media – could get them into trouble.
“I think if you knew when to shut up, you’d be fine in Hong Kong,” said Fan, 39, who also recently arrived in London. Like Cindy, he did not want to give his full name. “But I don’t want to do that. I can complain about the queen if I want – I can say anything here. “
Fan, an animator, sold his apartment in Hong Kong and plans to slowly build a new life in Britain – a country he had never visited before. He will not be alone starting from scratch.
“This is a really unique wave of emigration – some people have not had time to actually visit the country they are moving to. Many have no experience of living abroad, ”said Miriam Lo, who runs Excelsior UK, a relocation agency. “And because of the pandemic, they were unable to even come to see a house before deciding to buy it.”
The British government estimates that there are 2.9 million qualified BNO holders qualified to move to the UK, with an additional 2.3 million eligible dependents. The United Kingdom introduced BNO passports in the 1980s for people who were “British citizens from dependent territories in connection with Hong Kong”. Until recently, passports had limited benefits because they did not confer nationality or the right to live and work in Britain.
Cindy, the businesswoman, was still recovering from the jetlag, but is optimistic about her future.
“We want to bring energy, our resources and our finances from Hong Kong here,” she said. “Change is for our children, for sure. But we want to build a whole new life here for us too. “