Fewer Hongkongers seeking asylum in Britain as other migration options open up

There were only 18 asylum applications from January to March, half the number compared with same time last year

Those seeking asylum are left ‘stressed and anxious’ over slow process, low approval rate

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Latest data from Britain’s Home Office showed only 18 asylum applications by Hongkongers between January and March. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:00am, 22 Aug 2022

The number of Hongkongers seeking asylum in Britain has fallen, with advocacy groups linking the trend to the extension of a migration scheme allowing young residents to apply on their own to settle there.

Latest data from Britain’s Home Office showed only 18 asylum applications by Hongkongers between January and March, half the number in the same period last year.

In contrast, the British National (Overseas) visa scheme introduced last year for Hongkongers to move to the UK and eventually apply for citizenship saw applications rise by 27.7 per cent to 10,879 over the first three months of this year compared with the previous quarter.

Residents bidding farewell to loved ones leaving the city at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Dickson Lee

Some of those considering seeking asylum might have applied instead for the new migration pathway which was clearer and more direct, said Simon Cheng Man-kit, a former British consulate staffer granted asylum after being detained by mainland Chinese authorities at the height of the 2019 social unrest in Hong Kong.

The founder of Haven Assistance, a group helping Hongkongers who want to leave for Britain, said there had been slightly fewer inquiries about the country’s asylum policy this year.

There have been 202 applications by Hongkongers for asylum since anti-government protests broke out in Hong Kong in June 2019. The number peaked at 36 over April to June last year, but has declined since then.

Cheng said aside from a low approval rate, the process for obtaining asylum was slow, taking a year or more, and the outcome was uncertain.