BN(O) emigrants: freedom and better work-life balance see Hong Kong family relocate, buy property in the UK
- Hongkongers relocating to the UK are now buying property outside inner London, their preferred investment destination
- Since the launch of the BN(O) visa scheme, Hongkongers have bought 2,533 homes in the UK, of which only 15 per cent are in prime London areas
For Elise Kong and Ming Wong, the freedom offered under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme was the clincher that made them decide to sell their home in Hong Kong and relocate to the UK.
Kong, 40, a paediatrician, and Wong, 43, a businessman, bought a four-bedroom detached home in Chertsey, a town in Surrey, south of London, for them and their two sons aged nine and seven.
“Relocating to the UK was really important for our family, as we want more freedom and a better work-life balance,” said Kong, who moved with her family in July. “The process of immigrating to the UK has been very straightforward, made even easier through the BN(O) visa route, and we are so excited to start our new life here. There is a lot of choice in Chertsey and the surrounding area, so we know our sons will have an excellent education.”
While Kong did not disclose the price of the property, a similar house type at the same development by Barratt Homes, UK’s largest home builder, sells for £618,000 (US$852,000). The couple sold their three-bedroom home in Hong Kong and used part of the proceeds to buy their new home outright.
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BN(O) passport holders flee Hong Kong for new life in the UK, fearing Beijing’s tightening control
Their choice shows that Hongkongers, who prefer prime London areas, are now looking at other areas outside the British capital to settle.
The UK last year made it easier for 3 million Hongkongers, who qualify for a BN(O) passport and their dependents, to relocate to Britain and stay and work for extendable periods of 12 months, creating a path to citizenship. It was London’s response to Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national security law that is perceived to have eroded Hong Kong’s guaranteed freedoms under a Sino-British pact.
