TW: Police brutality and violence are discussed in this article.
Hong Kong migration officers have reported an influx of inquiries about accessing the UK’s new visa scheme which was launched on Sunday.
The scheme was announced in July in response to concerning developments in the Chinese Government’s enforcement of a repressive National Security Law. It offers Hongkongers the right to move to Britain and eventually seek citizenship in the next five years.
The Home Office expects 300,000 people to take up this offer despite concerns that visa applications will be monitored by the Chinese government. Online applications for the scheme, which is accessible to approximately 5 million citizens who have British National Overseas (BNO) passports or are the dependents of BNO holders, opened on Sunday.
“These new provisions allow Hongkongers to seek a home and life in the UK and to escape the increasingly fearful atmosphere being created by the National Security Law.”
The BNO passport category was created during the transfer of power over Hong Kong from Britain to China and was enshrined in the 1986 Sino-British British Joint Declaration, but the original version of the passport category did not provide such extensive rights to BNO citizens.
These new provisions allow Hongkongers to seek a home and life in the UK to escape the increasingly fearful atmosphere being created by the National Security Law.
Speaking to The Guardian, immigration agencies said that citizens, regardless of their political views, were prompted to seek refuge in the BNO scheme due to the deteriorating and uncertain situation in Hong Kong.
Agencies also speculated that interest in migrating to the UK was increasing because the BNO criterion is easier to fill out compared to other migration channels, such as entrepreneurial visas.
However, a Hong Kong resident who also talked to The Guardian believed the rush was due to long-circulating rumors that the Chinese authorities may impose exit bans that are already implemented in mainland China.
Despite an increase in visa inquiries following the launch of the UK’s BNO scheme, not all residents are keen on using the BNO pathway as they are concerned that they may be targeted by Chinese authorities in the future, especially given that last week, China officially stopped recognising BNO passports.
Consequently, many residents who are eligible for other types of visas, e.g. through their profession, are considering all their options rather than immediately opting for the BNO migration pathway.
“For these people, their hopes to leave Hong Kong’s draconian environment are strong but so too are their fears about being targeted through the visa application process.”
However, for many residents, the BNO pathway is their only option as it is the only threshold they can meet. For these people, their hopes to leave Hong Kong’s draconian environment are strong but so too are their fears about being targeted through the visa application process. Many residents of Hong Kong have been facing an unstable time of fear and conflict for just under two years.
In April 2019, Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, introduced a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China under certain circumstances.
Though public retaliation forced the bill to be suspended indefinitely in June, protesters were concerned the bill could be revived and called for it to be scrapped. In September, the bill was withdrawn but tensions between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing campaigns had been increasing all this time and were reaching a height.
On 1st October, a protester was shot in the chest and in November, there was a brutal faceoff between students and police at Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University. Those who supported Beijing also faced casualties, with a pro-Beijing lawmaker being stabbed in the street during early November.
Landslide wins by pro-democracy groups in November 2019, however, brought the prospect of the Chinese government taking the protesters’ demands more seriously.
“Months of contention led to China’s decision to impose the controversial National Security Law in June 2020.”
Spurred by these wins, protesters widened their movement and became more broadly anti-establishment, hoping to further resist Beijing’s attempts to increase control over Hong Kong. The months that followed saw increased clashes between pro-democracy activists and Hong Kong police.
Months of contention led to China’s decision to impose the controversial National Security Law in June 2020, which included provisions to wire-tap people suspected of breaking the law and allowing trials behind closed doors, significantly threatening the freedoms of Hongkongers.
Following the security law, pro-democracy activists including Jimmy Lai, Agnes Chow, and Joshua Wong, were charged under its powers, raising serious concerns about the future of democracy and the right to protest in Hong Kong.
The security law has also resulted in greater censorship across all aspects of society; a teacher had their license revoked after teaching pro-democracy content and Hongkongers were encouraged to snitch on their neighbours.
For many months, residents of Hong Kong have been living in an environment of fear, surveillance, and instability with the BNO pathway currently a vital and viable way out. It is yet to be seen if and how China will respond.
Sanjana Idnani
Featured Image courtesy of Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.