Canada a draw for Hongkongers keen to leave, immigration inquiries up for Australia too
- 8,058 visa applications to Canada from January to November last year, up sharply from 2019
- Some Hong Kong residents with BN(O) passports decide against Britain, choose to go elsewhere
Daniel Wong* holds a British National (Overseas) passport, but is not taking up Britain’s offer of a pathway to citizenship for Hong Kong residents eager to leave.
Instead, the 37-year-old is planning to move to Canada with his wife, a 33-year-old civil servant, their four-year-old son and both sets of grandparents.
“My parents prefer Canada and especially Vancouver, because they visited the city a few times and love it,” says Wong, who works as a senior manager in corporate governance.
“I cannot leave them behind in Hong Kong. If they are not moving with us, we won’t be moving.”
Canada has seen a sharp increase in Hongkongers seeking residency there since last year, according to official data. Australia had also seen more inquiries from Hong Kong residents who want to move there, a migration consultant said.
Like Britain, both countries announced they would ease their entry rules for Hongkongers after Beijing imposed a national security law last June, banning secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements.
Britain began accepting applications on January 31 for a new visa which allows BN(O) passport holders and their dependents to live and work in the country and apply for citizenship after six years. An estimated 5.4 million out of Hong Kong’s population of 7.5 million are eligible.
