“MOVING THE GOALPOSTS”
In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests.
Chinese authorities say the law has restored stability to the city, but critics argue it has been used to silence dissent.
At the time, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government responded by offering Hong Kongers British National (Overseas) – or BN(O) – status and their families a visa in 2021.
This included a route to permanent residency and eventual citizenship within six years.
Since then, more than 160,000 Hong Kongers, including Ho and his family, have arrived in Britain under the scheme, according to figures released by the UK’s Home Office earlier this year.
While the UK government said it is consulting on whether BN(O) holders will be included in the changes to residency rules, the lack of certainty has left many feeling unsettled.
At a recent Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in the south London suburb of Sutton, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Luke Taylor sought to reassure constituents that he would continue to lobby the government on their behalf.
“What the biggest problem is, it’s moving the goalposts for those who are already on the scheme, who’ve made plans with their children, (who) know currently when they’re going to get access to home fees for university, for example,” Taylor pointed out.
“They know when they’re going to be able to settle down longer term. This risks unsettling them.”
Sutton Councillor Richard Choi, who has been campaigning for Hong Kongers to be exempt from the change, called it a matter of moral responsibility.
“It is a moral lifeline for Hong Kongers to move to the UK, and so we shouldn’t see that as a regular immigration rule. It’s a moral promise from the UK government,” he said.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/hong-kong-migrants-uk-british-national-overseas-anxiety-immigration-5403461
