As freedoms are crushed and a career policeman takes the reigns in Hong Kong, almost 2 million Hong Kongers still do not have a route out of the city
Almost 2 million Hong Kongers still do not have a viable route out of the city as they are ineligible for the lifeboat visas currently on offer from the UK, Canada and Australia.
In the week after the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong, the second anniversary of the imposition of the National Security Law, and the inauguration of a career policeman as the new Chief Executive, Hong Kong Watch research shows how many people still do not have a lifeboat out of the city.
The UK’s visa scheme represents the bulk of the lifeboat schemes, with Canada and Australia offering smaller schemes.
“Governments around the world must do more to support Hong Kongers who need to get out of the city,” said Benedict Rogers, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch.
“The need is greater now more than ever as John Lee, the former Security Secretary who was responsible for the 2019 crackdown and whose entire career has been in policing and locking people up, takes the reigns in Hong Kong.
“His selection by the authorities in Beijing in an uncontested process signals a major degradation in freedoms in the city. There is now a genuine and well-founded fear that Hong Kong is becoming a police state.
“We hope by putting a figure on those who do not have a way out, and highlighting where people are falling through the cracks in current visa schemes, governments can better understand how to build lifeboat schemes for Hong Kongers.”
The UK’s BNO visa covers around 5.4 million people (with the rule change for 18–24-year-olds which is due to be implemented in November), Canada’s route is open to around 200,000 people, and Australia’s will benefit around 11,000 Hong Kongers already in the country.
The US policy, known as deferred enforced departure (DED), is not a permanent option, but will, in the short-term, allow around 20,000 Hong Konger to stay temporarily in the US without risk of deportation.
The EU does not currently have a lifeboat scheme for Hong Kongers, but there have been known cases of successful asylum grants in France, Germany, and Sweden.
在自由被打壓、香港由一位資深警官上任管治時，接近200萬名香港人仍然沒有合適的途徑離開香港
接近200萬名香港人仍然沒有合適的途徑離開香港，因為他們不符合資格申請英國、加拿大和澳洲目前的救生艇簽證。
在香港主權移交25週年、國安法生效2週年和一位資深警官正式上任成為香港的行政長官之時，香港監察的研究顯示很多香港人仍然無法透過救生艇計劃離開香港。
英國的簽證計劃是目前規模最大的救生艇計劃，加拿大和澳洲則提供規模較小的救生艇計劃。
香港監察行政總裁羅傑斯表示︰「各國政府必須採取進一步行動，幫助有需要離開香港的香港人。」
「隨着參與打壓2019年示威活動的前保安局局長李家超上任成為行政長官，香港人比以前有更迫切的需要離開香港。
李家超由北京當局挑選及委任，標誌着香港的自由狀況進一步惡化。很多人都真切、有根據地擔心香港現正成為由警察管治的城市。
我們希望透過統計暫時沒有途徑離開香港的香港人，以及指出現時簽證計劃的漏洞，各國政府可以了解如何為香港人訂定救生艇計劃。」
英國的BNO簽證計劃涵蓋約540萬名香港人（修訂版的計劃將於11月生效，屆時18至24歲合資格的香港人亦可申請簽證），加拿大的簽證計劃開放予約20萬名香港人申請，澳洲的簽證計劃將惠及11,000名目前正在澳洲的香港人。
美國名為「延期強制離境」的政策並不是一項永久的政策，但在短期內將容許約2萬名香港人暫時留在美國、而無須面臨被驅遂出境的風險。
歐盟目前沒有為香港人訂定的救生艇計劃，但在法國、德國和瑞典均有成功申請庇護的個案。