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?

@Veterinari - There were comments about where anyone moving would live; London has nowhere near enough public housing nor houses, but it does actually have a huge surplus of private purchase / private rental flats. Almost all housing stock in Hong Kong is similar types of flats, I guess you haven't been there. It would be better for your general knowledge if you checked statistics on housing rather than just deciding a factual comment is "ignorant and racist".

There is already an acknowledged shortfall of 1 million homes

Is there? I don't see people camping outside their local council offices because they ave nowhere to live.

There are about half a million empty homes so maybe the impetus will come to finally sort those out if lots of people do decide to come from HK.

they’ve said that they don’t know anyone HKers who would take up the offer. They would all prefer American, Australian or Canadian passports

I guess so would a lot of people but "i want doesn't get". I can't see that many people wanting to come here but it's reassuring to have an escape route. Always the option to move on afterwards (like all the "asylum seekers" in France for whom France ain't good enough and they want to come here instead).

Exactly what hargao said.

I need to stop reading this post, the racism is shocking.

wakeandbake you've obviously never been to HK, it's not all concrete 🙄

It's posturing by the UK, hence the threats to us by China. They do not want to lose their citizens. We are just trying to force China to treat the people of HK decently.

"Hasnt Boris offered them the right to stay for 12 months instead of 6 months?"
He has offered them a renewable period of 12 months.

Surely educated, affluent HK people would want to go somewhere better than shithole covid-ravaged Brexitland? Somewhere foreigners might actually be welcomed, perhaps?

If they did (and God alone knows why they'd want to) all come here, well, why not? It's not as if HK is a known hotbed of abject poverty and underachievement, is it?** It was a highly successful British territory, last run by Chris Patten as Governor, with a robust economy. The problems/oppression they are suffering now is as a direct result of our being there for so many years and building it pretty much as we wanted, rather than it being part of China. It wasn't the big, smart white guys who made it so successful, it was the people who did the work - we'd have a result if they all wanted to come here, especially when we are so desperate for doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers and the like. Thing is though, they won't. They'll go to better places instead.

** of course poverty exists everywhere

Johnson has offered "a path to citizenship" for BNO, not full citizenship, not straightway.

Any HKer who can afford it will probably already be an overseas/non-HK citizen - their family or they themselves will have emigrated and earned/bought citizenship from another country. That's been going on for decades, peaking around the Handover.

Normal HKers, even if they still qualify for BNO status will probably not be able to afford to leave HK - who has tens of thousands of £s for an extended (6 - 12 months) holiday?

Even if you take up Johnson's offer of right to work, that's still dependent on being able to get a job here - the prospect of which is not great in the current climate. The BNO status is for people born before 1997 - if you're of that generation, it's likely that you would now have children or grandchildren who wouldn't qualify to come with you at the same time.

It's a very late gesture on the part of the UK government too little too late, but I think the reality is that very few people would actually be able to take up this opportunity. It's total lip service, the is nothing concrete we can do to help HKers

@MitziK

The problems/oppression they are suffering now is as a direct result of our being there for so many years and building it pretty much as we wanted, rather than it being part of China.

So you are saying we should never have given them a taste for democracy and human rights so they would accept the Chinese yoke happily and without question?

Well alrighty then!

@spookybitches

you've obviously never been to HK, it's not all concrete 🙄

Wiki... Agriculture and aquaculture in Hong Kong are considered sunset industries. Most agricultural produce is directly imported from the neighbouring mainland China. In 2006 the industry accounts for less than 0.3% of the labour sector.

Mostly concrete

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

This is my experience too. I was a bit puzzled by earlier comments.

What’s wrong with people from other countries coming too? Especially educated, tax paying ones? I’m a bit confused and a bit sad as I am one of them and have paid taxes for years and made The UK my home. And I have always spoken English, OP

I have travelled to Hong Kong recently (funnily enough to recruit) and was talking about the young grad population as it is now. The majority are now fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin (with Japanese or Korean) not English, and English fluency is decreasing. It is an official language and so some study is completed but most young people aren’t fluent any more.

BNO holders are born before 1997 so very few of them are new grads anyway.

Highly educated, massive work ethic, English speaking, pro-democracy. Pretty much the kind of immigrant that everyone wants, right?

I must say it is somewhat funny. We will brexit because the NHS can't possibly cope with all the immigrants, and then turn around and invite 3 million people....

So if they are rich....is ok?

I support HK, but find this decision the final proof t proof that brexit is using people's racism to make a few people a lot of money....

[quote WakeAndBake]@MitziK

The problems/oppression they are suffering now is as a direct result of our being there for so many years and building it pretty much as we wanted, rather than it being part of China.

So you are saying we should never have given them a taste for democracy and human rights so they would accept the Chinese yoke happily and without question?

Well alrighty then![/quote]
No.

But they were used to benefit the UK/Empire, whether they wanted to or not, so I don't see why they should have to beg for crumbs from the UK when full help/a right to come here/have a British passport should have been given at the outset.

@Lua - it's not because they're rich, it's because they're British. As @MitziK says, they should really have had passports all along.

I also guess a lot of the pre 1997 people who are eligible will now have kids who won’t be eligible? So they won’t leave if it means leaving their children. Or will their children also be allowed?

That's the point of them extending beyond BNO presumably, to give the same rights to descendants and spouses rather than making them wait until the BNO holder gets full citizenship. It would also remove the potential unfairness for people whose BNO passport holding parent has died. The younger people are more likely at risk due to the student protests.

[quote WakeAndBake]@spookybitches

you've obviously never been to HK, it's not all concrete 🙄

Wiki... Agriculture and aquaculture in Hong Kong are considered sunset industries. Most agricultural produce is directly imported from the neighbouring mainland China. In 2006 the industry accounts for less than 0.3% of the labour sector.

Mostly concrete[/quote]
Away from Kowloon and Central, it's not "mostly concrete".

If you'd bothered to read Wiki further, you would have seen:
Undeveloped terrain is hilly to mountainous, with very little flat land, and consists mostly of grassland, woodland, shrubland, or farmland. About 40 per cent of the remaining land area is country parks and nature reserves.

How did these " 1000s of asians" get into the UK without passing the mandatory english test I am now wondering....only asylum seekers and EU citizens are exempt. Interested to hear about that one!

Here we go... someone picking and choosing what immigrants / asylum seekers she will be happy with as though they are not all humans, equal to her. What 'immigrants from other parts of the world' are you better than and you'd rather not have?

Such blatant racism.

someone picking and choosing what immigrants / asylum seekers she will be happy with as though they are not all humans, equal to her

Um, all immigration systems do this? Not all immigrants are equal. Some are criminals, some have f*ckd-up beliefs about women and girls, some can't support themselves or pay taxes. They're not all equal.

I know you guys have different opinions about a massive number of HK people potentially moving to the UK this year later. What I can tell is those who are planning to move want to integrate and contribute, though its gonna take some time to adjust. I live in HK, pro democracy, but had enough frustration already over police cracking down on protesters