British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised Hongkongers “one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history” if Beijing pushes through the national security law.

Under the new British government plan – which will be put in place when Beijing formally enacts the law – every one of the 3 million Hongkongers who qualify for a British National (Overseas) passport and their dependents could relocate to the United Kingdom to stay and work or study for extendable periods of 12 months, creating a path to citizenship.

The government was also working with other like-minded countries in the “Five Eyes” security alliance, which also includes the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to build up a “groundswell of international support” for action on Hong Kong.

What is the draft legislation about?

According to the resolution put forward at the National People’s Congress (NPC) on 22 May, the new law is intended to prevent, stop and punish acts in Hong Kong that threaten national security, and encompasses secessionist and subversive activity as well as foreign interference and terrorism.

The NPC also highlighted the responsibility of Hong Kong’s leader to protect national security by launching promotional and education programmes on the matter, prohibiting acts that threaten national security, and submitting reports to the central government on a regular basis.

What are the critics’ main concerns?

By enacting the national security law through promulgation, opposition politicians have said there was no room left for discussion or negotiation in Hong Kong on how the bill should be drafted. They have warned that the integrity of one-country, two-systems hangs by a thread, as it would allow Beijing to install a new and unregulated legal system in Hong Kong.

Sources:

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087229/britain-lobbies-five-eyes-allies-share-burden-possible-hong

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3085738/what-does-beijings-new-national-security-law-hong-kong

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3085821/more-200-parliamentarians-and-policymakers-23-countries

Comments by Anna Lee, Head of Education Services, North East Asia

The announcement of a new national security law will likely fuel a new wave of protests in Hong Kong. One implication is that middle-class Hong Kongers could put more consideration into migration. CitizenNews data analyst Joe Lee found a correlation between the keywords “national security law” and “migration” in online search engine requests. This suggested that thoughts of migration were an instinctive and immediate response from the public, after the announcement was made on 22 May.

From an education viewpoint, the political instability in Hong Kong might spark further demand for overseas education, and could see parents exploring options to send their children abroad for education from a much younger age.

UK institutions planning to recruit students from HK will face significant challenges at present as the social instability combined with the Covid-19 outbreak continues to change the education landscape and is making the market more unpredictable.

Institutions who would like to discuss their marketing and recruitment strategy for HK in light of these ongoing challenges are invited to contact Anna.Lee@britishcouncil.org.hk for further discussion.