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> Adopting HK citizens is a far easier sell than Syrians. They already speak English No they don't. According to the Hong Kong government's 2011 census only 41

> Adopting HK citizens is a far easier sell than Syrians. They already speak English No they don't. According to the Hong Kong government's 2011 census only 41% of residents spoke English moderately well (not even fluently, just moderately well). 20% reported not being able to speak any English whatsoever; not even a few sentences. Only 57% of residents of Hong Kong considered themselves "bilingual". Only 30% of students attended an EMI school (English as a Medium of Instruction). And I doubt the numbers have become more favorable to English in the decade since that census.

MattGaiser 6y ago
> No they don't. According to the Hong Kong government's 2011 census only 41% of residents spoke English moderately well (not even fluently, just moderately well). 20% reported not being able to speak any English whatsoever; not even a few sentences. You have to consider which ones are being adopted. It is overwhelmingly the educated and wealthy ones who will go, and a far higher percentage of them speak English.
take_a_breath 6y ago
This is irrelevant because the offer is only for the 3 million people eligible. That group includes: ==About 350,000 UK passport holders, and 2.6 million others eligible, will be able to come to the UK for five years.== ==Under the government's plans, all British Overseas Nationals and their dependants will be given right to remain in the UK, including the right to work and study, for five years. At this point, they will be able to apply for settled status, and after a further year, seek citizenship.==
akamaka 6y ago
41% is a lot! For comparison, only 34% of foreign-born Hispanics in the US speak English proficiently.
iguy 6y ago
> 41% of residents spoke English moderately well Do you know (or care to speculate) on how those eligible for this offer would compare to residents captured by the census? e.g. Did lots of people arrive from the mainland post-97, who might drive down the average? Or perhaps those with overseas-british papers are older, and the younger generation speaks much more English? I don't know enough to guess.

MattGaiser 6y ago

> No they don't. According to the Hong Kong government's 2011 census only 41% of residents spoke English moderately well (not even fluently, just moderately well). 20% reported not being able to speak any English whatsoever; not even a few sentences. You have to consider which ones are being adopted. It is overwhelmingly the educated and wealthy ones who will go, and a far higher percentage of them speak English.

take_a_breath 6y ago

This is irrelevant because the offer is only for the 3 million people eligible. That group includes: ==About 350,000 UK passport holders, and 2.6 million others eligible, will be able to come to the UK for five years.== ==Under the government's plans, all British Overseas Nationals and their dependants will be given right to remain in the UK, including the right to work and study, for five years. At this point, they will be able to apply for settled status, and after a further year, seek citizenship.==

akamaka 6y ago

41% is a lot! For comparison, only 34% of foreign-born Hispanics in the US speak English proficiently.

iguy 6y ago

> 41% of residents spoke English moderately well Do you know (or care to speculate) on how those eligible for this offer would compare to residents captured by the census? e.g. Did lots of people arrive from the mainland post-97, who might drive down the average? Or perhaps those with overseas-british papers are older, and the younger generation speaks much more English? I don't know enough to guess.