Pakistani woman becomes first refugee in HK to gain entry to a local university

Sarah, a 27-year-old Pakistani, is the first person who has gained refugee status in Hong Kong to gain entry to a Hong Kong university. She will begin her studies at Hong Kong University next month as a 'visiting student'.

Fleeing religious persecution and still wanting to remain anonymous, she and her family left their home country seven years ago and were granted refugee status in Hong Kong after three days in an asylum-seekers' camp at the airport.

Before she left Pakistan, she was a year two student at the Government College for Women at Punjab University, majoring in home economics and physical education.

Since then her only studies have been English classes at the British Council and cake-baking classes run by the Caritas charity.

Her mother, Nasira, 52, is delighted for her daughter. 'I am so happy that my daughter can study in a university after such a long time,' she said, speaking Urdu which was then translated by her daughter. 'I was so worried about her as a lot of time has been wasted. I will pray for her studies.'

Asylum seekers and people who have refugee status in Hong Kong are not allowed to work and are ineligible for any training from the Employees Retraining Board or the Vocational Training Council.