The Home Office of the U.K. recently announced that a total of 144,500 Hong Kong residents have been admitted to the country over the past two years since the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa scheme was introduced on Jan. 31, 2021. A recent survey conducted by overseas Hongkongers found that nearly 70 percent of Hongkongers moved to the U.K. over the political situation, freedom, and personal safety concerns. Scholars describe them as “political refugees.”
The survey was conducted by Citizens of Our Time Learning Hub, founded by Hongkongers who immigrated to the U.K. and collaborated with foreign Hongkongers media, The Chaser News. The questionnaires were distributed online from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29, 2022. About 822 valid questionnaires were returned from residents aged 16 or above who moved to the U.K. under the BNO Scheme.
On Jan. 31, well-known Hong Kong scholars Chung Kim-wah and Benson Wong Wai-Kwok in the U.K. held an online press conference. They announced the report “DeFactoPolitical Refugees Striving for Fulfillment: A Survey on the 2nd Anniversary of BNO Visa Scheme.”
The survey found that 69.5 percent of respondents had a university degree or above, with 37.3 percent having University undergraduate degrees and 32.2 percent with master’s degrees or above. Around 14.2 percent have an associate degree or diploma. Nearly 54 percent of respondents are either parents with children who are in/will be in school or students who are studying.
Graph showing near 70 percent of respondents received high education in the "DeFactoPolitical Refugees Striving for Fulfillment: A Survey on the 2nd Anniversary of BNO Visa Scheme." Produced by The Epoch Times
‘Political Refugees’
It found that nearly 70 percent of respondents emigrated to the U.K. under the BNO Visa Scheme for reasons: the political situation in Hong Kong (48.7 percent) or freedom and personal safety (21.7 percent); education and development of children (25.2 percent).Chung explained that the figure suggested most Hong Kongers worry that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may brainwash their children in Hong Kong.
Wong said that the Hongkongers holding BNO are “political refugees” at a certain level.
Graph showing the main reasons why Hongkongers moved to the U.K. under the BNO visa scheme, in the "DeFactoPolitical Refugees Striving for Fulfillment: A Survey on the 2nd Anniversary of BNO Visa Scheme." (Produced by The Epoch Times）
For the question regarding the most significant dates for Hong Kong memory, most of the interviewees chose “July 21 Yuen Long Station Attack” (68.7 percent), “August 31 Prince Edward Station Attack” (44.2 percent), and “June 12 Police crackdown on a massive protest against extradition bill” (39.2 percent); “June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square protest” and “July 1 Annual Rally/Storming of the Legislative Council Complex to protest the extradition bill” (17.8 percent).
Wong believed that the 2019 anti-extradition law amendment bill movement had already become an indelible collective memory and part of their sense of identity; that is also why the dispersed Hongkongers going to the U.K. are called “political refugees.”
70 Percent of Interviewees Adapted to Life in the UK
In terms of employment, more than 52.1 percent of respondents are economically active, among which 42.6 percent were employed and 9.5 percent were self-employed or starting their businesses. About 21.2 percent of respondents were looking for jobs.Nearly 70 percent of respondents expressed they had already adapted to living in the U.K. The rest said they did not. Of those, 28.3 percent said that they “desperately needed” support in “information on medical services,” 28.2 percent need “enhancing English speaking ability,” 26.2 percent need “understanding local society, politics, and economic system,” 24.9 percent need “seeking job opportunities,” and 23.1 percent need “familiarising with local culture and habit.”
Wong pointed out that 18.5 percent of respondents chose the cost of living support as “desperately needed” or “very much needed.” It reflected that some Hongkongers holding a BNO are economically disadvantaged. Some of them are forced to leave Hong Kong as refugees due to changes in Hong Kong’s political situation.
The survey also found that Hongkongers holding a BNO had limited knowledge about the U.K. government and the local councils. Although 75 percent of respondents knew about the Welcome Program launched by the U.K. government and the English Language Support (ESOL), less than half of the respondents heard about the destitution support and integration activities provided by Local Councils. Even 10.7 percent of respondents have never heard about any measures supporting Hongkongers.
Some Interviewees Felt Guilty About Leaving Hong Kong
The questionnaire invited the respondents to express their feeling after living in the U.K. Some interviewees expressed happiness about having freedom of speech in the U.K. Some felt lonely for not getting used to the lifestyle in the U.K., some are worried about the financial situation and cost of living, not adapting to the weather in winter and the language barrier.Some respondents felt guilty, longed for, and worried about Hong Kong. They felt guilt about leaving their families and the prisoners “participating in the anti-extradition movement” behind in Hong Kong and claimed they still cared about Hong Kong daily.
