Leaving Hong Kong: UK’s property boom is turbocharged by influx of city’s BN(O) migrants
- London, Manchester and Birmingham among preferred destinations for Hongkongers moving to UK; property prices up as much as 11.5 per cent in hottest locations
- Nearly 104,000 eligible Hongkongers applied for British National (Overseas) visas last year
After a lifetime in Hong Kong, Sung Chi-wah and his wife packed up their belongings last June and moved to Swindon, a town of 222,000 people in southwest England – about an hour-long train ride from central London.
The couple, both nearing retirement age, wanted to take care of their daughter, a first-year psychology student at the University of Bath. A few months later, they shifted to Slough in the Greater London area near Heathrow Airport, and about a 20-minute train ride from London’s Paddington Station.
A friend had a flat available for rent and it was convenient to Ascot Racecourse, where the former Hong Kong Jockey Club staff and his wife now work as part-time, casual employees.
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Hong Kong migrants to UK struggle to adapt, many willing to accept lower pay and job changes
“Hong Kong is crazy now; I’ve never seen such a crazy moment in Hong Kong,” said Sung, referring to the city’s Omicron surge. “I want to take care of my daughter, my family, but I’m also worried about my brothers and sisters in Hong Kong and what is happening in Hong Kong.”
