Are Hong Kong migrants to UK returning home?

Mark O'Neill February 23, 2025 19:54

“She was a schoolteacher in Hong Kong and now works as a cashier in a supermarket in Britain. I think she and her husband would like to come back but it is a question of face. How would she explain her return to her family and friends after saying that Hong Kong was finished?”

Mary Leung, a civil servant, was speaking about a friend who left for Britain two years, one of 150,000 Hong Kongers who have emigrated since 2021, when London opened the door for those with BNO passports.

“Those with children who are now in school in Britain will not come back,” said Leung. “But those without children will consider it.”

There are no statistics on the number of returnees – those who come back prefer to remain discreet and not advertise the fact. They face the obstacle of buying or renting a property here; most who left sold their home to finance the move. But anecdotal evidence suggests that the number may not be small.

What is driving them is the poor state and prospects of the British economy, the difficulty of finding satisfactory jobs that pay close to what they earned here, deteriorating public services, especially the National Health Service, and the difficulties of integrating into mainstream society.

Last October think-tank British Future and the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kong published a study “Working it out: Hong Kongers, employment and the cost of living.” Its researchers found trained accountants working in kitchens, IT and insurance specialists employed in warehouses, a teacher working in a care home and a former editor doing events waitressing.

“They are being held back from making their full contribution to the UK economy due to difficulties with UK recruitment and interview practices; lack of suitable employment and careers support; challenges with their qualifications being recognised; lack of employer awareness of the BN(O) visa and their rights to work in Britain; and sometimes a lack of confidence in spoken English,” it said. “They are struggling to find work that matches their skills and qualifications, denying the UK economy much-needed skills and making it hard for new arrivals to cope with rising living costs.”

Alex Mak is employer co-ordinator at Hongkongers in Britain, a civic group formed to help new arrivals settle. “People who had a very high socio-economic status in Hong Kong mostly would not find even an intermediate management job – but at least they have a job. Middle managers have to restart their career.”

As they decide whether to go or not, Hongkongers can follow the lives of those who have already gone on Youtube; the migrants describe the challengers of moving to a new country.

One couple consists of a man who was a bus driver here, while his wife was a teacher. They decided to leave because they did not want their two children to receive what they consider a distorted and dishonest education.

In Britain, the husband is working as a delivery man for a grocery shop. He wants to become a truck driver, which pays considerably better. But he has not received all the necessary paperwork from the government.

His wife worked in a biscuit factory before finding a post in a recruitment agency, a job she greatly prefers. “Hongkongers who find white-collar jobs are fortunate. Most work in factories, warehouses or retail. In my new job, I can help more Hongkongers.” She has placed many in her former factory.

“Life is more expensive than we expected. Many things are difficult, including finding a place to rent,” she said. The stress of settling is affecting relations with her husband; he feels inadequate in what he earns and his role in helping the integration into British society.

Their daughter is happy in her new school. She has more space and free time than in Hong Kong, a more varied curriculum and less homework. She is well cared for by the teachers.

Language is also an issue. While many Hongkongers have a good standard of written English, their spoken language may not be good enough to catch the nuances, jokes and reference of daily conversation. This may mean the difference between obtaining and not obtaining a job, in competition with a native English-speaker.

For most people, economic prospects are better here than in U.K.

According to official figures, Britain’s GDP grew 0.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2024, after no growth in the previous quarter. The IMF said that, in 2025, it will grow by 1.6 per cent.

A government-commissioned report published last September found that England’s National Health Service, one of the country’s most revered institutions, was in “critical” condition. It cited long waits for treatment, crumbling hospitals, mental health patients in “vermin-infested cells” and far fewer M.R.I. scanners than in comparable countries. It underscored the scale of the challenge the government faces to revive a health care system in a spiral of decline after years of underinvestment and administrative meddling and still suffering the aftershocks of the pandemic.

Wong Ming-lam, a taxi driver, said: “I will not emigrate anywhere because I have no money and my English is poor. Of course your life is better in your home place. If you move to another country, you sacrifice yourself in the hope of a better life for your children.”

Mark O'Neill

A Hong Kong-based writer, teacher and speaker.