Easy path to citizenship makes UK top choice for Hongkongers fleeing political upheaval, says Midland Immigration Consultancy

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The proportion of Hong Kong people considering a move to the UK has surged by nearly 50 percentage points to 84 per cent of total emigration enquiries since the start of the year, data from Midland shows

Beijing’s imposition of a controversial national security law in the summer has prompted many Hongkongers to consider relocating

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The British National (Overseas) passport. Photo: Fung Chang

Lam Ka-sing

Published: 7:30am, 17 Dec 2020Updated: 7:30am, 17 Dec 2020

The UK is by far the most desirable destination for Hongkongers looking to up sticks and leave, with inquiries skyrocketing this year, according to Midland Immigration Consultancy.

The proportion of Hong Kong people considering a move to the UK has surged by nearly 50 percentage points to 84 per cent of total emigration enquiries this year, data from Midland shows.

“The number of Hongkongers who liked the UK showed the largest increase because the threshold for Britain is the lowest among [choices like] Australia, Canada,” said Tina Cheng, senior strategy director at Midland. “Hong Kong people simply holding BN(O) can apply to move to England, with almost no other requirement than living there for a period of time.”

British National (Overseas) passports were issued to Hongkongers born before the 1997 handover.

Beijing’s imposition in the summer of a sweeping national security law widely seen as a suppression of Hong Kong’s freedoms has prompted many citizens to think about relocating.

In July the British home secretary, Priti Patel, said the controversial new law had breached the Sino-British Joint Declaration – laying out the terms of the Hong Kong’s 1997 territorial handover – and “could not be ignored”.