Forum March 2023: Spreading the gains: attracting Hong Kongers to all nations of the UK
Hong Kongers’ priorities considering settling in location include the quality of local schools, the availability of good housing, low crime rates, good job opportunities and a relaxed pace of life (see report published by WC4HK). As a result, some areas of the UK have proven more popular with Hong Kongers while others have attracted relatively few and stand to miss out on the benefits Hong Kongers bring. The March forum aims to explore the topic of spreading the gains across all nations, specifically Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
We are honoured to have Billy Kwan of Hongkongers in Britain, Kurt Liu of Scottish Hongkongers, Mina Ko of Welcome Churches (UKHK) and Stephen James of Cardiff Hong Kongers to speak in the forum. They shared their views on who these Hong Kongers are, reasons for them to settle in the region and suggestions to encourage more Hong Kongers to come.
The forum begins with Billy sharing his observations upon his daily contact with Hong Kongers in Northern Ireland. The main reasons for Hong Kongers to settle in the nation include having close friends living there, a higher proportion of good schools, and the nation’s special geographic location with access to the EU through the Republic of Ireland. He suggests that more social events would help the Hong Kongers in Northern Ireland to build up their local network and have culture exchange with local residents. Previously, Billy organised football matches between Hong Kongers and local residents. He believes music and sport can easily bring people together.
Scottish Hongkongers is conducting a survey focusing on the Hong Kongers settling in Scotland. The survey includes but not limited to their demographic characteristics, education and employment status. With disclosure of the preliminary survey findings, Kurt makes a few suggestions to further support Hong Kongers in Scotland. These include exploring the possibility of BN(O) visa holders paying university home student tuition fees, strengthening employment support on Hong Kongers’ skills matching with job opportunities, and continuing to offer ESOL courses to Hong Kongers to overcome the language barrier. The group is still welcoming respondents and will publish the survey report at a later time.
On the reasons for settling in Scotland, Mina of Welcome Churches suggests the relatively lower property price and cost of living may attract the first wave of Hong Kongers. In addition, having friends and family members already settling in the nation becomes the main factor appealing to the second wave of Hong Kongers. Therefore, Mina mentions support to the existing Hong Kongers in the nation is important. These include organising more activities in Cantonese, running an English Cafe for conversational English practice, as well as more explanation and/or information of the system difference in Scotland compared with that of England.
Followed by Steve’s sharing, he shared that many Hong Kongers had once studied in Cardiff and returned when they made a decision on where to settle in the UK. Similar to the sharing of the previous speakers, he pointed out that some Hong Kongers move to Wales because they have friends and family living there. He also finds youtubers and facebook groups continue to be very influential upon Hong Kongers’ research in location. Moreover, the Welsh environment is another reason attracting Hong Kongers, they appreciate its milder winter and the softness of water. Steve thinks a continuing space for Hong Kongers to meet up would help building up their sense of belonging and their social network. As many Hong Kongers want to improve their English conversational skills to integrate into the community and before starting job hunting, networking support is thus crucial.
During the discussion session, members see a continuous need to provide quality information of all nations to Hong Kongers in order to support their decision making on settlement and help integrating into the community. At the end of the Forum, Heather Rolfe of British Future and chairperson of the Forum remarked on the diversity of the Hong Kong community. Through the sharing of the speakers, it is evident that each individual has unique needs and preferences when it comes to settling down. Yet one thing that remains constant is the need for a warm welcome and holistic support.