4 ms·

They have. At least for the HK residents which predate the '97 handover and therefore have British Overseas National status. This is about 1/3 of the HK populat

They have. At least for the HK residents which predate the '97 handover and therefore have British Overseas National status. This is about 1/3 of the HK population which is now allowed to settle and work in the UK on a track towards permanent residency. If they can get the permission to leave, that is.

londons_explore 5y ago
It is notable that very few seem to have taken this path. Yet many seem to be protesting, despite it really looking like they have hardly any chance of their protests getting anything they want. There must be more to the story that I'm not seeing...
- spacehunt 5y ago
  I wouldn't say it's "very few", all flights from HKG to LHR are fully booked despite the ongoing pandemic.
- garmaine 5y ago
  “ If they can get the permission to leave, that is.” Also there’s the no-small-matter of how they get to the UK in the middle of a pandemic with restricted flights and transit visas.
- Gosper 5y ago
  About as many as can are decamping for less oppressive climes: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/uk-receives-34000-visa-requests-from-hong-kong-in-two-months https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/uk-receives-34... The professional class in Hong Kong is steadily dwindling with families going where they can or methodically planning to. Canada is most desired, then the UK, and Australia. It takes time to find employment, a place to live, and schooling for your kids. But the biggest factor is Covid. Politics aside, Hong Kong has been a great place to ride out the pandemic while the UK handled it abysmally. After the Delta variant and Covid as a whole subsides expect emigration to pick up. Curiously the job market in Hong Kong is booming and I've seen an uptick in western expats arriving, so there's an appeal if you stay apolitical. Which is easy enough when it's not your home getting wiped out.
- strogonoff 5y ago
  It doesn’t seem to me that there’s no reason for standing up for own freedom if the alternative is moving halfway across the world and abandoning beloved home for a country where, frankly, climate is worse, the chance of getting mugged is real, and where one would belong to a minority. Hong Kong culture is in no small part traditional Chinese culture, which existed in that area for many years. The other part is the British cultural influence. Unfortunately, HK’s “parent entity” prior to British rule technically no longer exists; there is now a new communist country to the north. Becoming absorbed by it entails giving up valuable parts of HK’s unique culture (which includes freedom of speech); assimilating in the UK would mean giving up other parts of it. It is only natural to want neither of these outcomes.

londons_explore 5y ago

It is notable that very few seem to have taken this path. Yet many seem to be protesting, despite it really looking like they have hardly any chance of their protests getting anything they want. There must be more to the story that I'm not seeing...

spacehunt 5y ago
I wouldn't say it's "very few", all flights from HKG to LHR are fully booked despite the ongoing pandemic.
garmaine 5y ago
“ If they can get the permission to leave, that is.” Also there’s the no-small-matter of how they get to the UK in the middle of a pandemic with restricted flights and transit visas.
Gosper 5y ago
About as many as can are decamping for less oppressive climes: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/uk-receives-34000-visa-requests-from-hong-kong-in-two-months https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/uk-receives-34... The professional class in Hong Kong is steadily dwindling with families going where they can or methodically planning to. Canada is most desired, then the UK, and Australia. It takes time to find employment, a place to live, and schooling for your kids. But the biggest factor is Covid. Politics aside, Hong Kong has been a great place to ride out the pandemic while the UK handled it abysmally. After the Delta variant and Covid as a whole subsides expect emigration to pick up. Curiously the job market in Hong Kong is booming and I've seen an uptick in western expats arriving, so there's an appeal if you stay apolitical. Which is easy enough when it's not your home getting wiped out.
strogonoff 5y ago
It doesn’t seem to me that there’s no reason for standing up for own freedom if the alternative is moving halfway across the world and abandoning beloved home for a country where, frankly, climate is worse, the chance of getting mugged is real, and where one would belong to a minority. Hong Kong culture is in no small part traditional Chinese culture, which existed in that area for many years. The other part is the British cultural influence. Unfortunately, HK’s “parent entity” prior to British rule technically no longer exists; there is now a new communist country to the north. Becoming absorbed by it entails giving up valuable parts of HK’s unique culture (which includes freedom of speech); assimilating in the UK would mean giving up other parts of it. It is only natural to want neither of these outcomes.