For the many Hong Kong rebels who fled to the United Kingdom to escape prosecution after the 2019-20 riots, it’s a case of catch-22 or deja vu. During the past two years, they have been lured to the UK by the promise of security and a better life. But this has proved to be an empty promise.
The UK enters 2023 facing its worst recession since records began a century ago, according to the Bank of England. And although unemployment is relatively low at about 4 percent, real wages are lower than a decade ago. The Economist reported that the UK government may crow about unemployment being at its lowest since the 1970s, but pay growth is at its weakest since the Napoleonic wars.
Soon after the 2019-20 insurgence in Hong Kong, then-UK prime minister Boris Johnson introduced new arrangements for British National Overseas passport holders and their close family members to move to the UK and eventually become British citizens. It planned for 300,000 BNO holders to apply, but so far only about 100,000 have been successful. So determined was it to draw Hong Kong people to its shores, the UK government pledged to set up a 43-million-pound ($51.8-million) fund to help Hong Kong migrants to settle in the country.
But British Member of Parliament Sarah Champion, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong, told the House of Commons in 2021 that Hong Kong people escaping “repression” are being denied fair access to homes and jobs in the UK, which demonstrated the current failure of the British government to plan for immigrants arriving in the UK under the BNO visa scheme.
Those seeking greener pastures are sadly disappointed by their decision. Migrants from Hong Kong are suffering from the emotional upheaval of moving to an entirely new country with their families, and have cited problems with helping their children settle into new schools as a major issue affecting their mental health, according to University of Cambridge mental health expert Mark Liang, who conducted a survey on the mental health of Hong Kong migrants to the UK. He added that there was also the feeling that an essential part of their identity had been lost.
And many Hong Kong immigrants in the UK who fled prosecution after the riots are battling a combination of “hostile environment” policy, discrimination and poor working conditions.
In Liang’s survey, nearly 19 percent of those interviewed reported symptoms of depression, while 25.8 percent reported symptoms of anxiety disorders. The survey found that issues with English, job hunting and newfound tensions with family members were among the most commonly reported problems affecting their mental health.
Other reported problems are long waiting times to see a doctor; strict visa requirements; a competitive job market; Brexit politics affecting travel; a damp, cold, and gray environment; frequent travel delays resulting from current rail and airline staff strikes; and not enough work-life balance.
New arrivals in the UK also need a fair amount of capital to settle in as the cost of living is not cheap. The average yearly wage for full-time workers in London in 2022, according to Statista, a marketing and consumer analytical company, was 41,866 pounds compared with 29,521 pounds for workers in North East England, which was the lowest in the UK in 2022. And although unemployment overall is low, of all the different ethnic backgrounds, immigrants of Chinese descent make up the second-highest unemployment rate of 12.4 percent, according to a report from the House of Commons.
Local newspapers reported that one renegade fleeing from justice in Hong Kong arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport to claim asylum, expecting everything to go smoothly as the British government is sympathetic toward Hong Kong rioters, but was instead detained by immigration staff for 48 hours to verify his claims, and was warned that he could be sent back to Hong Kong.
Those who have fled Hong Kong justice know they have reached the point of no return and will live their remaining life in self-exile. For legitimate BNO migrants, they can always return.
The author is a former chief information officer of the Hong Kong government, a PR and media consultant, and a veteran journalist.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.