UK offers clear route to British citizenship for 3mil+ Hong Kong citizens

[Cam77]

The UK government has effectively just offered virtual no strings right to remain/full British citizenship to 3 million HK citizens + spouses/dependent children (as far as I understand it).

Five years no strings leave to remain for those eligible for BNO passport+any dependents. I think the legislation hasn't been passed, but just a matter of time.

Given the historical closeness between HK and the UK and the current situation in HK, I would not be a bit surprised if, say, half a million Hong Kongers take up the offer of moving to the UK in the next year or two.

Have to admit I didn't expect that from the Tories. Just curious whether people support this move by the British government?

YABU = No
YANBU = Yes

I find China's cookie cutter "angry" response to Britain's offer strange. Though I guess its just the goto stance now for China "anger = a position of power"? (taking a leaf out of the US book possibly)

I would have gone along the lines of: "The Chinese government has always encouraged its citizens to travel so as to experience other cultures and broaden the mind, and as such we welcome the new visa rules form the UK. However, while the UK is an attractive destination, it is currently on the brink of a large recession due to its rash decision to leave the EU and also, like much of the world, faces a continued struggle with pandemic, which it has so far dealt with poorly. So in the medium term most families may feel their better interests remain in Hong Kong, their dynamic and vibrant home city."

Even if their is a small braindrain over the next couple of years, why would Beijing care? Easily replaced by 50million mainland degree educated 20 somethings. Perhaps, just anger in response to loss of face I suspect.

We should name the people we plan to make homeless to house them first. After all we were not planning to build that many new houses were we.

So let's be upfront and organised and pick people from the voting list who will have to get out of the way.

I should hope we'd welcome anyone in China who is unhappy/oppressed there. It would be discrimination to draw any kind of line.

While I agree with the decision of the British government, there is also a faint whiff of moral grandstanding and "look at us doing the right thing and standing up to Big Bad China".
It will be interesting to see how many tens/hundreds of thousands/millions are able to take up the offer own the next year or two. I wonder if the British government actually know something we dont which will make this generous offer fall flat on its face before it amount to anything.
I'm afraid where the Conservatives are concerned I'm highly suspicious of any action which is advertised as "we are just want to do the right thing"! Especially on such a highly charged topic as immigration. Yes, many HKers are well educated, with reasonable English, but many are also low-skilled with poor English. Hmmm...

Nearly 400 million people were given an access to UK and then to possible citizenship before.
Not all 400 million took it. There is currently something about 0.75% from that in the UK.
Not all 3 million from Hong Kong will take it too.

Do you people seriously imagine that that 3 million people will just come and get everything free and will be just given a citizenship?🤦

I bet the Cornish are painting their "stay out" posters as we speak.

I don’t think the whole of Hong Kong will pack their bags and come to the UK or the US or Canada etc but I do think the ones that know they can earn a living outside of HongKong will be seriously thinking now of escaping.

China has said they aren’t going to abide by the “treaty” to continue with running HK in a more liberal fashion alongside China for a period of time. They have spoken out and said how things are going to be so I do think today people are looking at selling what they can and leaving.

Up until a few days ago there was no reason to leave HK now there is.

Interestingly many HKers are disappointed with the UK's offering and think this is not enough.

From my three short trips to Hong Kong I found that people didnt really display strong feelings toward Westerners either way. Its a very busy and business orientated city, most people are too busy to give strangers in public places any kind of strong reaction

Hong Kong is quite close to dps heart (it was his 2nd home for some time) as he visited it many times on business. If an opportunity had come up he would have jumped at a chance of living and working there.

He would always comment on how lovely the people were and how friendly they were to him. Inside business and out.

Interestingly many HKers are disappointed with the UK's offering and think this is not enough.

Perhaps they'll hold out for the best deal. Australia and Canada also seem keen to have them.

How you could ever suggest the UK has a development-free countryside is just bizarre.
Have you flown over the UK in the last few years? Great swathes of countryside with the odd hamlet or farmstead. I grew up on a farm in Buckinghamshire (so have some sympathy for farmers) but let's get away from farmland being sacrosanct and look at tailing off some of the subsidies - if they could sell some land to develop new towns with the correct infrastructure then everyone's a winner.
This offer to HK is the right thing to do and whether many take us up on the offer is immaterial.

How do we know which type of HK will apply? How do we know the uneducated ones won’t come and work on the black market if they can’t claim government support or the CCP won’t just empty their prisons and send them here? Also it isn’t a great idea to bring over millions of people from another country at the same time. There will be zero need to try an integrate. I say this as the child of an immigrant.

I keep hearing that everyone in HK is highly educated, works hard and lovely. This is statistically impossible. I think some here are overlooking some potential downsides in the rush to stuck two fingers up at the CCP.

Obviously not all 3 million will come here - many other countries around the world have offered visas, and many Hong Kong citizens have relatives in Australia, Canada etc so it would make sense for families to emigrate to countries where they have support.

Many people from Hong Kong gained residency rights in other countries around 1997 (knew what was likely to happen.....). I am pleased the government have taken this step.

We lived in HK for a while in the early 90's and people there are generally hard working, motivated, entrepreneurial and education is very highly valued. Our universities will benefit, as will our workplaces.

It’s the least they could do given the situation. The handover never should have happened. It’s naive in the extreme to think that any country could have good relations with China, they’re not a friendly country to anyone, there’s no such thing as good relations where despots are concerned.

@Tellmetruth4 immigration fees to the UK cost well over £10k over a 5 year period. My colleague had to pay £10k for ILR for herself and husband, and 2 kids.

How many people would pay that to work minimum wage?

It’s the least they could do given the situation. The handover never should have happened

It had to happen we only leased Hong Kong

What shouldn’t have happened was China after agreeing to one set of rules then changing them.

I am glad that we have offered people a place here but I don’t think we will get everyone coming here.
I think America and Canada are the more attractive options.

Desiringonlychild

People pay a lot more than £10k for visas elsewhere.

A Green Card I am seriously looking at costs many many times more than £10k and people still do it.

We have always been clear that we support those in genuine need

How do you explain austerity then?

I don’t think that they will be interested in coming here anyway. Britain is not looking that attractive for immigrants.
People from Hong Kong are more likely to go to Australia or Canada

What shouldn’t have happened was China after agreeing to one set of rules then changing them.

Maybe they were following the UKs lead ?

I’m very confused.

I thought colonialism was meant to be a bad thing, but here we have a former colonial people waving their former colonial flag as a symbol of protest?

Why are they complaining when their own people’s government is seeking to liberate them from alien things that their colonial oppressors left behind (like free speech, democracy and the rule of law?) Shouldn’t they be grateful?

I would love to know what the Woke view is on all this because at the moment I’m all confused!

This is probably the first, and very likely the last time, I've looked at something Boris Johnson and his government have done and thought, well done, absolutely the right thing to do.

It's highly unlikely thought, that all 3 million people will take up this offer.

Leaving your country of birth is not for everyone, even if that country behaves in a way that some other countries find abhorrent.

Tbh there are a lot of places that would probably look a lot more attractive than Britain to anyone wanting to emigrate from HK.

SerendipityJane

As far as I am aware you can still criticise the government without a life in prison being the punishment.

This is probably the first, and very likely the last time, I've looked at something Boris Johnson and his government have done and thought, well done, absolutely the right thing to do.

Let's wait for the detail, shall we ?

It's certainly not an automatic or guaranteed right to citizenship, so immediately anyone thinking of taking it up needs to factor in not attaining citizenship after 5 years and being deported back to Hong Kong. A Hong Kong where the Chinese will have compiled a very long list of people they'd like to keep an eye on after 5 years in the UK.

There's also no indication yet about how non-eligible family members would be treated either.

And of course in 5 years time, unless (and even if) things have actually been signed into law, the government of the day can just change it's mind.

And people in that part of the world have a long experience of the British approach to honourable dealings, which involves sailing huge gunboats up your rivers to force you to accept Indian opium.

@QuestionMarkNow

I love how 75% on MN think its ok for 3 millions people from HK to come over and become british citizens just like this. But somehow the 3 million EU citizens that had made their life in the Uk, paid taxes tec... were just persona non grata, queue jumpers and so on...

I wanted the UK to remain the EU. Still devastated that we're not. I support the EU citizens who made their lives here and want it to be as easy possible to stay. Never ever called them queue jumpers. And I ALSO think we ought to help Hong Kong citizens who want to leave.