3 million Hong Kong people to get asylum in U.K.?

[WakeAndBake]

Because of China’s aggressive political destruction of Hong Kong the British government is thinking about allowing up to 3 million people to escape Beijing’s yoke by moving to the U.K.

Given that HK people are generally big fans of democracy, civil rights and a western way of living WIBU for all of them to come to the U.K. over the next ten years INSTEAD of 3 million immigrants from other parts of the world?

OP you do realise that not all immigrants are asylum seekers? We need a lot of the immigrants for essential employment, if we got rid of them all Im not sure "the Hong Kong people" could fill the gap .

I am sure any move to the UK will come with strings by the Chinese government such as losing property / wealth. It may surprise you but a lot of Hong Kongers are high earners and have accumulated a significant amount of wealth - add to that the simple fact that Hong Kong has fewer health inequalities and longer life expectancies than the UK despite not having free healthcare, then I imagine the only people who may take up the offer are those that China actively want to get rid of. Think criminals, the uneducated etc.

Yeh op let’s just get BREXSHIT done. 🤦‍♀️

Why not? Hong Kong is full of all sorts of people from PhD,s to restaurant bottle washers. And to escape from the clutches of the CCP many would be prepared to do a job ‘beneath’ their skill sets so I’m sure they could cover most of the gaps. Not sure they do much fruit picking though...

Also unlike most grads from (for example) India / the Philippines / Singapore / Malaysia, most grads from Hong Kong don’t learn English (they don’t need to). So while yes the UK can invite Hong Kong citizens for humanitarian reasons we will still need immigrants from English speaking countries in Asia.

then I imagine the only people who may take up the offer are those that China actively want to get rid of.

Do you think all those demonstrators were workshy criminals? You would rather live in China than the U.K. if you had the choice???

So while yes the UK can invite Hong Kong citizens for humanitarian reasons we will still need immigrants from English speaking countries in Asia.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of people from Asia living in the U.K. for ages who don’t speak English and don’t ever plan on learning it. I think the HK people could probably learn the language quick enough, especially if it was a condition of the visa.

@wakeandbake - the demonstrators are mainly people who are doing it out of a sense of duty. They love Hong Kong first and foremost and are willing to sacrifice themselves for what they perceive is the greater good. Those people are probably least likely to move to the UK because they would view it as giving up. You really need to educate yourself about the protest movement over there.

Where would the 3 million immigrants from other parts of the world have come from

• those who aren't fans of democracy, civil rights etc - that you want to keep out ?

I hadn't heard the UK government was planning to let in 3 million from assorted dictatorships

Yes, I'd support letting in immigrants from Hong Kong, as the UK has some moral obligation for their welfare

However, looking at where people from Honk Kong have chosen before
e.g. in 1997 after HK was returned to China
probably most of the 3 million would choose somewhere else

Especially seeing how a previous 3 million from the EU had their lives turned upside down when British people decided the immigrants were taking their jobs.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of people from Asia living in the U.K. for ages who don’t speak English and don’t ever plan on learning it. I think the HK people could probably learn the language quick enough, especially if it was a condition of the visa.

Where is your evidence that there are ‘thousands’ of Asian people living in the UK without learning the language? If you are talking about people from Pakistan / India / Bangladesh - the majority of them came here with British passports and so were British citizens, and in many cases more British than a lot of so called ‘ethnic English’ whose parents emigrated from Europe in the 1900s. Again educate yourself please you are embarrassing yourself.

If you are talking about people from Pakistan / India / Bangladesh - the majority of them came here with British passports and so were British citizens, and in many cases more British than a lot of so called ‘ethnic English’ whose

A bit early for glue?

It isn't an either-or situation for immigration. The UK has a duty to its citizens, which includes those who decided to stay on in Hong Kong and those who trusted China enough not to take BNO passports at the time. China has broken the promises made to those citizens and their descendants, with lives and liberty now at risk. If they need to come back then that's just how it is. It's unlikely that they will all come here, but if they need to then we have a duty to support them and I expect hundreds of thousands will come given the current situation. Most of them would bring a boost to any economy they move to, maybe not immediately but in a few years, so they should be readily welcomed even by those who don't care so much about British responsibilities. They won't replace all possible immigration needs, nor all other UK responsibilities.

Shameful dog whistle racism from OP. I’ve reported this thread.

Where will they live though. Aren’t we over crowded already. Poor assess to gp, housing and schools for people that already live here.
Just curious.

Yes Britain has a duty and responsibility for BNO passport holders and let them move to the UK if they want to. They have a highly ranked education system. Two of my friends and their DC’s will relocate if they get the opportunity- one an accountant and the other a teacher.

How can talking about people who are being persecuted be racist?

Yanbu it's a good idea. Saves them from communist China and I understand the majority of people there are hard working, pro democracy, they would be an asset.

@Mary1935 - at least they're used to flats! Those are issues to be resolved. When it's citizens though it's a bit like family, you don't fret about bedrooms or of the fridge is full when a family member is in danger, you move them in and work that stuff out later.

My experience is that the vast majority of people in Hong Kong speak English. I’ve lived and worked there.

Those I know in Hong Kong have good language skills and speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Having lived in HK for a number of years, I would say that most professional people in HK speak a good standard of English. I think its a generous offer and HK people are hardworking, solid people. However, it is potentially a large number of people arriving in an already overcrowded country and would most likely concentrate on London or the bigger cities, so that would need to be considered.

What is likely to happen though, is similar to what happened post the handover in 1997. Large numbers of HK-ers emigrated abroad, got the safety passport and then drifted back to HK. The numbers of Canadian citizens in HK is extremely high, for example. Does the UK want to be a back up plan or a long term destination?

Where is your evidence that there are ‘thousands’ of Asian people living in the UK without learning the language

Thousands and thousands according to wake

I’d quite like the evidence as well....I don’t doubt there are some, but thousands and thousands?

There goes the China trade deal.

This is just wiffle waffle from Johnson.

I'd be happy if we did offer them full citizenship rights. We should have done when we first left. But I bet we don't.

I still find it hilarious that given the state of this country some British people still think “foreigners” are desperate to clamber the ladder to be here - the facade is slipping and the global lense sees us for what we have become. We are a laughing stock to many sadly