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https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/thousands-flee-hong-kong-uk-fearing-china-crackdown-75602792>
"HONG KONG — Thousands of Hong Kongers have already made the sometimes
painful decision to leave behind their hometown and move to Britain
since Beijing imposed a strict national security law on the Chinese
territory last summer. Their numbers are expected to swell to the
hundreds of thousands.
Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting the
pro-democracy protests that swept the former British colony in 2019.
Others say China’s encroachment on their way of life and civil liberties
has become unbearable, and they want to seek a better future for their
children abroad. Most say they don’t plan to ever go back.
The moves are expected to accelerate now that 5 million Hong Kongers are
eligible to apply for visas to Britain, allowing them to live, work and
study there and eventually apply to become British citizens.
Applications for the British National Overseas visa officially opened
Sunday, though many have already arrived on British soil to get a head
start.
Britain’s government said some 7,000 people with British National
Overseas passports — a travel document that Hong Kongers could apply for
before the city was handed over to Chinese control in 1997 — have
arrived since July on the previously allowed six month visa. It
estimates that over 300,000 people will take up the offer of extended
residency rights in the next five years."
Via Whuffo and Muse.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
