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Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom

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.

Background

The United Kingdom has historically been a popular destination for Hong Kong immigrants due to the colonial relationship between the two territories. The British Nationality Act 1948 allowed Hong Kong-born residents to move to the UK free of restriction. The UK's popularity among 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 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.

In July 2020, following the implementation of new security laws in Hong Kong by China, the UK offered a path to residency for British Nationals (Overseas) in Hong Kong. In the first year of the policy 103,900 people applied for the visa, which had almost doubled to 191,000 by January 2024. By the end of the program's second year over 150,000 of the applications had been granted, an indication that most of those who applied were eventually accepted.

Demographics

The 2001 census recorded 96,445 Hong Kong-born people residing in the United Kingdom. The 2011 census recorded 98,724 Hong Kong-born people resident in England, 3,517 in Wales, 7,586 in Scotland and 1,906 in Northern Ireland. The figure Scotland was 7,068 in 2001 and 5,910 in 1991. The 2021 census recorded 117,714 Hong Kong-born people resident in England, 3,715 in Wales and 1,982 in Northern Ireland. It is worth noting that the 2021 census was conducted less than two months after the implementation of the new BN(O) visa program, meaning few if any of its beneficiaries are included in it. However, estimates provided in early 2024 suggest that over 140,000 Hongkongers have moved to the UK since the start of 2021, more than doubling the size of the community.

Hong Kongers who migrated to the UK under the BN(O) pathway introduced in 2020 are generally older and higher-educated than other immigrants to the UK. 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.

Community

Hong Kong migrants under the BN(O) pathway have created several self-help organisations, including Hongkongers in Britain and the Sutton Hongkongers Group, to support and advocate for each other since the BN(O) path to residency was introduced in 2020. Many of these organisations were set up because many new Hong Kong migrants are afraid of Chinese community groups which are aligned with the government of Communist China.