Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom

Last updated

Hong Kongers in the UK
Total population
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hong Kong-born residents in the United Kingdom: 135,312 – 0.2%
(2021/22 Census) [note 1]
Flag of England.svg  England: 117,714 – 0.2% (2021) [1]
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland: 11,901 – 0.2% (2022) [2]
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales: 3,715 – 0.1% (2021) [1]
Northern Ireland: 1,982 – 0.1% (2021) [3]
Other estimates:
est. 280,000 – accounting for BN(O) arrivals (2024) [4]
Hong Kong citizens/passports held:
19,489 (England and Wales only, 2021) [5]
Languages
English (British English, Hong Kong English), Hong Kong Cantonese, Hong Kong Hakka
Religion
Atheism, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism
Related ethnic groups
British Chinese, Britons in Hong Kong
  1. ↑ Does not include Hong Kongers born in the United Kingdom, Mainland China (mainly Guangdong Province) or elsewhere

Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom (also known as Hong Kong Britons) are people from Hong Kong who are residing in the United Kingdom or British nationals of Hong Kong origin or descent.

Contents

The 2021 United Kingdom census recorded a total population of about 135,300 Hong Kong-born residents. Since the implementation of the British National (Overseas) visa route in the same year, 144,400 BN(O) status holders from Hong Kong have arrived in the United Kingdom. [6]

Background

The United Kingdom has historically been a popular destination for Hong Kong immigrants due to the colonial relationship between the two territories. [7] The British Nationality Act 1948 allowed Hong Kong-born residents to move to the UK free of restriction. The UK's popularity among Hong Kong immigrants was also helped by the fact that the English language enjoys official status in both territories. While many Hong Kong-born residents of the UK are ethnically Boat Dwellers and/or Chinese, others include the children of colonial parentage (British and/or other European heritage, and people with ancestries from other parts of the former British colonial empire) born in Hong Kong prior to the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997. [8]

In July 2020, following the implementation of new national security laws in Hong Kong by China, the UK offered a pathway to citizenship for British Nationals (Overseas) status holders in Hong Kong. [9] In the first year of the policy, 103,900 people applied for the BN(O) visa, which had almost doubled to 191,000 by January 2024. [10] [4]

Demographics

Hong Kong-born residents by ethnic group (2021 census, England and Wales) Hong Kong-born residents by Ethnic Group, Census 2021.png
Hong Kong-born residents by ethnic group (2021 census, England and Wales)

The 2001 census recorded 96,445 Hong Kong-born people residing in the United Kingdom. [12] The 2011 census recorded 98,724 Hong Kong-born people resident in England, 3,517 in Wales, [13] 7,586 in Scotland [14] and 1,906 in Northern Ireland. [15] The figure in Scotland was 7,068 in 2001 and 5,910 in 1991. [16] [17] The 2021 census recorded 117,714 Hong Kong-born people resident in England, 11,901 in Scotland, 3,715 in Wales and 1,982 in Northern Ireland. [18] [2] [19] The 2021 census was conducted less than two months after the implementation of the new BN(O) visa scheme in January 2021 so there is a likelihood that few of its beneficiaries had been recorded by the census. [20] Figures from the Home Office in January 2024 showed that over 144,000 Hong Kongers have moved to the UK since the start of 2021, more than doubling the size of the community. [4]

Hong Kongers who migrated to the UK under the BN(O) visa scheme introduced in 2021 were predominately in their 30s and 40s, 70 per cent were graduates and 39 per cent had a professional occupational background. [21] According to The Economist , reasons for this demographic include the fact that only people born before 1997 are eligible for British National (Overseas) status, and that families with children are particularly eager to emigrate from Hong Kong following the introduction of the territory's national security law. [22] BN(O) arrivals tended to move to affordable areas and suburbs outside of London that had a strong schooling system, with popular destinations named as Salford, Trafford, Warrington, Solihull and Sutton. [23] [24]

Politics

Civil society groups have been set up to increase voter registration and to tackle issues affecting the community for the 100,000-140,000 BN(O) arrivals expected to be eligible to vote. [25] A survey conducted at the end of 2022 by the University of Liverpool on Hong Kongers who came to the UK through the BN(O) visa pathway suggested that more than half of the new arrivals would vote Conservatives, 16 per cent for the Liberal Democrats and 14 per cent for Labour. [26] Amongst the Chinese ethnic group in general, another survey conducted in 2023 found that Conservatives (40 per cent) led Labour (37 per cent) by 3 points. [27]

Community

Hong Kong migrants under the BN(O) visa pathway to citizenship have created several self-help organisations, including Hongkongers in Britain and the Sutton Hongkongers Group, to support and advocate for each other since the pathway was introduced. Many of these organisations were set up because new Hong Kong migrants often fear recently established Chinese community groups that are aligned with the government in Beijing. [22]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina Ip</span> Hong Kong politician

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is a politician in Hong Kong. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council (ExCo) and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), as well as the founder and current chairperson of the New People's Party. She was formerly a prominent government official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and was the first woman to be appointed the Secretary for Security to head the disciplinary service. She is also the founder and Chairwoman of Savantas Policy Institute, a think-tank in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Chinese</span> British people of Chinese descent

British Chinese, also known as Chinese British or Chinese Britons, are people of Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ancestry who reside in the United Kingdom, constituting the second-largest group of Overseas Chinese in Western Europe after France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British National (Overseas)</span> Class of British nationality

British National (Overseas), abbreviated as BN(O), is a class of British nationality associated with the former colony of Hong Kong. The status was acquired through voluntary registration by individuals with a connection to the territory who had been British Dependent Territories citizens (BDTCs) before the handover to China in 1997. Registration for BN(O) status was limited to the 10-year period preceding the transfer as a transitional arrangement for former BDTCs; current residents cannot newly acquire this nationality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport</span> Passport issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong who are Chinese citizens

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the handover in 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English. In addition, unlike Chinese passport which can be issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British nationality law and Hong Kong</span> Status of Hong Kong people in United Kingdom law

British nationality law as it pertains to Hong Kong has changed over time since it became a British colony in 1842. Hongkongers were given various nationality statuses, such as British subjects, Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, British Dependent Territories Citizen and British Nationals (Overseas).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British passport</span> Passport issued to British nationals

The British passport is a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or other British dependencies and territories to individuals holding any form of British nationality. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as proof of citizenship. It also facilitates access to consular assistance from British embassies around the world. Passports are issued using royal prerogative, which is exercised by His Majesty's Government; this means that the grant of a passport is a privilege, not a right, and may be withdrawn in some circumstances. British citizen passports have been issued in the UK by His Majesty's Passport Office, an agency of the Home Office, since 2014. All passports issued in the UK since 2006 have been biometric.

Britons never made up more than a small portion of the population in Hong Kong, despite Hong Kong having been under British rule for more than 150 years. However, they did leave their mark on Hong Kong's institutions, culture and architecture. The British population in Hong Kong today consists mainly of career expatriates working in banking, education, real estate, law and consultancy, as well as many British-born ethnic Chinese, former Chinese émigrés to the UK and Hong Kongers who successfully applied for full British citizenship before the transfer of sovereignty in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australians in the United Kingdom</span> Ethnic group in the United Kingdom

Australians in the United Kingdom, or Australian Britons, include Australians who have become residents or citizens of the United Kingdom. The largest segment of Australia's diaspora of 1 million resides in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filipinos in the United Kingdom</span> Ethnic group

Filipinos in the United Kingdom are British citizens or immigrants who are of Filipino ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emigration from Hong Kong</span>

Emigration from Hong Kong refers to the migration of Hong Kong residents away from Hong Kong. Reasons for migration range from livelihood hardships, such as the high cost of living and educational pressures, to economic opportunities elsewhere, such as expanded opportunities in mainland China following the Reform and Opening-Up, to various political events, such as the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during the Second World War, the 1967 unrest, uncertainties leading up to the 1997 handover, and the 2019–2020 unrest. The largest community of Hong Kongers living outside of Hong Kong is in Mainland China, followed by the US, Canada and the UK.

East Asians in the United Kingdom are East Asians living in the United Kingdom. They have been present in the country since the 17th century and primarily originate from countries such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. They are called "East Asian" or "Oriental", although – dependent upon the context – the use of the term "Oriental" might be considered by some to be derogatory or offensive. In the 2001 British census, the term Chinese or Other is used.

Canadians in the United Kingdom, or Canadian Britons, are people from Canada living in the United Kingdom and their descendants. In 2001 some 72,518 people born in Canada were living in the UK according to the UK census. Of the ten census tracts with the highest Canadian-born populations, nine were in London, with the other being Cambridge West. The Office for National Statistics estimates that, in 2009, 82,000 Canadian-born people were living in the UK. In 2011 this was the third largest community in the Canadian diaspora after Canadians in the United States and Canadians in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealanders in the United Kingdom</span> Citizens or residents of the UK who originate from New Zealand

New Zealanders in the United Kingdom are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom who originate from New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Hong Kong</span> Policy on permits required to enter Hong Kong

The visa policy of Hong Kong deals with the requirements in which a foreign national wishing to enter Hong Kong through one of the 15 immigration control points must meet to obtain an entry permit or Visa, which depending on the traveller's nationality, may be required to travel to, enter, and remain in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Visitors from over 145 countries are permitted without Visa entry for periods ranging from 7 to 180 days, to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for tourism or certain business-related activities. All visitors must hold a passport valid for more than 1 month.

Hongkongers, Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people are demonyms that refer to a resident of Hong Kong, although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory.

Hong Kong Canadians are Canadians who were born or raised in Hong Kong, hold permanent residency in Hong Kong, or trace their ancestry back to Hong Kong. In Canada, the majority of Hong Kong Canadians reside in the metropolitan areas of Toronto and Vancouver. Many Hong Kong Canadians continue to maintain their status as Hong Kong permanent residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British National (Overseas) passport</span> British passport for persons with BN(O) status

The British National (Overseas) passport, commonly referred to as the BN(O) passport, is a British passport for people with British National (Overseas) status. BN(O) status was created in 1987 after the enactment of Hong Kong Act 1985, whose holders are permanent residents of Hong Kong who were British Overseas Territories citizens until 30 June 1997 and had registered as BN(O)s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Hong Kong–United Kingdom relations are the international relations between the post-colonial Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 to 1941 and again from 1945 to 1997 when sovereignty was handed over to China. UK policy towards Hong Kong is underpinned by its substantial commercial interests, and fulfilling obligation as the other signatory of Sino–British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong, in addition to support Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and in accordance with China's policy of observing "one country, two systems". Hong Kong is also home to roughly 2.9 million British National (Overseas)s, 350,000 of which hold an active British passport, giving it one of the largest populations of British passport holders in the world behind only the Anglosphere Commonwealth realms and the United States.

Hongkongers in Britain is a Hongkonger expatriate association based in the United Kingdom that was established to unite the people of Hong Kong in the UK, and build an alliance with the international Hongkongers community. It was founded by a group of pro-democracy Hongkongers and activists including former British consulate officer Simon Cheng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Edinburgh</span>

The demography of Edinburgh, the capital city and second largest city of Scotland, is analysed by the National Records of Scotland. The population of the council area of Edinburgh was 514,990 in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "TS012: Country of birth (detailed)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Table UV204 - Country of birth: Country by Country of Birth by Individuals". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 24 May 2024. '2022' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Country of birth: UV204'
  3. ↑ "MS-A17: Country of birth - intermediate detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Loughton, Tim (23 January 2024). "Human Rights in Hong Kong - Volume 744: debated on Tuesday 23 January 2024". UK Parliament Hansard. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "TS013: Passports held (detailed)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Safe and Legal (Humanitarian) routes to the UK". Home Office. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "香港移民潮：戰後港人歷次「走出去」的因由". BBC News 中文 (in Traditional Chinese). 1 February 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Born abroad: Hong Kong". BBC News. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  9. ↑ "Hong Kong security law: Why we are taking our BNOs and leaving". BBC News. 11 July 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Summary of latest statistics". GOV.UK. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Country of birth (extended) and ethnic group". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Archived from the original on 25 April 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  13. ↑ "2011 Census: Country of birth (expanded), regions in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Country of birth (detailed)" (PDF). National Records of Scotland . Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Country of Birth – Full Detail: QS206NI". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency . Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  16. ↑ "Scotland's Diaspora" (PDF). gov.scot. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Scottish Government, St Andrew's House (5 October 2009). "Scotland's Diaspora and Overseas-Born Population". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Country-of-birth (detailed)". Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "MS-A17 Country of birth - intermediate detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency . Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Release plans: Our proposed plans for the release of Census 2021 data and analysis". ons.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "'We are all thinking about how to contribute': Hongkongers boost Britain's suburbs". Financial Times. 29 May 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Britain's newest immigrant group is unlike any that came before". The Economist. 23 September 2021. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  23. ↑ "How Salford became Britain's little Hong Kong". The Times. 10 June 2023.
  24. ↑ "Why don't immigrants want to live in Scotland?". The Times. 14 June 2023.
  25. ↑ "Hongkongers make a splash in UK politics". Financial Times. 10 November 2023.
  26. ↑ Yu, Cindy (11 November 2023). "Hong Kongers likely to vote Tory, says new poll". The Spectator.
  27. ↑ Kanagasooriam, James (3 January 2024). "Non-white Britain is more diverse than ever". The Times. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  28. ↑ "Gok Wan: 'I call my family the Transformers. Once we lock together, we become a force'". the Guardian. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.