Hong Kong Emigres Struggle to Transition in the U.K.

The ongoing migration out of Hong Kong, which began last year following the pro-democracy protests that swept through the city and subsequent government crackdowns, has resulted in Hong Kong residents flocking to the United Kingdom to start anew. However, a recent survey shows the transition to making a new home in the world can present a new set of challenges.

The mass migration into the U.K. is the result of the British National Overseas visa, a type of travel document that some Hong Kong residents who were British nationals at the time of the handover of the territory from Britain to China in 1997 hold. Last year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered holders of this passport resident visa status in the U.K., making the BNO a fairly accessible route for migrants. During the first five months of the scheme, the U.K. has received about 65,000 BNO applications.

While the U.K government estimates that Hong Kong migrants could provide a net gain of 2.4 billion British pounds ($3.34 billion) to 2.9 billion pounds ($4 billion) to the country's economy, some migrants are having a hard time finding employment after settling in the U.K.

According to a recent survey by Hongkongers in Britain, an organization that helps Hong Kong expatriates assimilate in the United Kingdom, while 94.4% of Hong Kong to U.K. migrants surveyed have officially left their jobs back home, only 35.2% are employed – including full-time, part-time and self-employed work.

Hongkongers in Britain classifies this new population entering the U.K. as a "high potential workforce." After all, 66.8% of respondents said they have 11 or more years of work experience and 69.2% hold at least a bachelor's degree. But even for the Hong Kong emigres who are employed in the U.K., their new jobs rarely resemble those from their lives back home, the survey indicates.

Before shifting to the U.K., most respondents worked in the financial services, insurance, communication and education industries. But the top industries they are working in since their move have been transportation and storage; professional, scientific and technical activities; and accommodation and food service.

Better employment support services were the main recommendation recent migrants have to improve their transitions, with around 32% of survey respondents listing that as a priority.

To help facilitate employment for Hong Kong migrants in the U.K., more streamlined job-matching programs and cultural transition training sessions are needed in the workplace, Julian Chan, the co-founder of Hongkongers in Britain, said at a news conference earlier this week.

"[These] are realistic and achievable targets which will help contribute towards the U.K. economy and eventually bring about the leveling up of the U.K by ensuring fair and inclusive access in work and employment," he said.