Highlights
- Hong Kong nationals in Australia welcome new visa pathways to permanent residency.
- Immigration lawyers say the entry requirements for Hong Kong nationals in Australia to apply for permanent residency is now "very low".
- Exiled Hong Kong politician Ted Hui says although the grateful for the new policy, he's calling on the Australian government to open the door for other pro-democracy activists seeking political asylum abroad.
It was news temporary graduate visa holder Yuki Chan had been waiting for.
On Friday, the it had created two new visa streams to permanent residency for Hong Kong nationals after Beijing’s decision to pass a controversial national security law on June 30, 2020, in response to widespread anti-government protests throughout the city.
Ms Chan is estimated to be one of around 8,800 existing temporary skilled, graduate and study visa holders who would be eligible for the two streams to commence from March 5, 2022.
Prior to the news, the accounting graduate had been tossing up whether to apply for settlement in the UK or Canada due to their faster immigration pathways for Hong Kong residents.
“Australia suddenly feels good. It feels like a dream,” says Ms Chan, who adds she won’t be leaving anymore.
Ms Chan had been worrying about “failing” the English language test for migrants, but under the new specialised pathway, only the most basic conditions need to be met such as health and character checks.
Immigration lawyer Richard Wong believes the new migration pathways to permanent residency provide greater clarity for people from Hong Kong like Ms Chan.
Under one pathway, Hong Kongers who have lived in regional areas in Australia could apply after three years, while others would be eligible after four years of local residency through a separate visa offering.
New visa streams for Hong Kong nationals were announced on Friday. Source: SBS
Mr Wong says the pathway will also attract new skills and talent to Australia who previously didn’t have enough points to apply for a migration visa.
“I believe those who had intended on immigrating to the UK or Canada will now reconsider and move to Australia instead,” Mr Wong says.
“The weather is better in Australia compared to Canada. Australia is an attractive option,” he adds.
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Ted Hui – who is currently considered a fugitive in the city - says although the migration pathway for Hong Kong nationals is welcome news, he’s calling for the Australian government to provide more visas for Hong Kongers seeking asylum overseas.
“While the new policies regarding Hong Kong visas will allow more and more Hong Kongers to escape the terror from the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party's) oppression, the young ones, the teenagers and those in their early 20s, they were the frontline protestors [in the 2019 pro-democracy protests].
"They were so brave and they sacrificed themselves for freedoms, now they are facing prosecution, many pending trials, many serving times in jail,” says Mr Hui, an opposition figure who fled Hong Kong on bail in 2019 and still faces security charges there.
He says pro-democratic youths need a safe place to go to but fears many are not eligible for the new policies announced on Friday.
Opposition Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui (right) with fellow pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting in 2019. Source: AP
He says while some may not be able to afford the tuition fees needed to get an Australian student visa, others may not be age-appropriate for tertiary education, meaning they may not benefit from the new visa schemes.
The former Hong Kong legislative council member says he will continue calling on the Australian government since members of this cohort "fit all the criteria for an asylum seeker [and] because they are heavily persecuted”.
The 39-year-old, his wife, children and elderly parents now live in Adelaide after visas were granted to them by the Morrison government in March.
“We’ve been settling in quite well so I’ve been enjoying the quietness, the peacefulness so that I can do my work for Hong Kong. I’m still grateful I have the freedom so I’m using this freedom to speak for others.”
Jane Poon, spokesperson for Australia – Hong Kong Link, a group that has been advocating for the safe haven for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters, says she feels positive those seeking asylum in Australia will be granted visas after their applications have been processed.
“I feel hopeful they will be granted visas. I don’t have worries about this,” she says.
When Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last July a safe haven scheme for Hong Kong citizens studying or working in the country in response to China’s national security laws, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called on Canberra to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs”.
“China strongly deplores and opposes the groundless accusation and measure announced by the Australian government with regard to Hong Kong,” he said at the time.
“China … reserves the right to take further reaction, all consequences will be borne by Australia,” he said, further adding, “Any attempt to suppress China will never succeed.”
Meanwhile, Mr Hui says he is using his high profile to advocate for safe havens and sanctions against what he believes are Beijing’s human rights abuses in Hong Kong.
He will do so using “all the [new] protections and freedoms” he has in Australia while working to unify Hong Kong’s growing diaspora.
Read this article in Chinese
澳洲全面公佈避風港政策 港人可「極低門檻」申請永久居留
