Chinese consulates no longer assist Hong Kong compatriots if they also have a different nationality. The head of government in the former British crown colony of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, has confirmed this.
The move follows the start of a British program to allow Hong Kong people to settle permanently in Britain because the People’s Republic of China effectively abolishes Hong Kong’s autonomy and suppresses the opposition.
The program, which started at the end of January, is based on London’s travel documents after the transfer of the Crown Colony to China in 1997. They are British ‘National Overseas Passports’ for people born in Hong Kong before 1997.
They almost exclusively offered the possibility to stay in the United Kingdom for up to 6 months as a tourist or visitor.
But that changed with the new visa regime at the end of January, much to the Chinese authorities’ chagrin. The ‘overseas passports’ are now also for descendants of the British Hong Kong-born people or people who depend on them.
The passport now automatically grants the right to work, live or study in Great Britain and offers almost 100 percent chance of British nationality after five years. 450,000 people in Hong Kong already have such a passport, and more than 5 of the 7.5 million Hong Kongers can claim it.