A Study of Hong Kong Middle Class in Britain - Is migration to Britain via the BNO pathway justified for Hong Kong middle class?

Author : Jane Chan

Abstract :In 1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed between China and Britain which confirmed the return of Hong Kong sovereignty to China after 1997. In order to ease the worries of Hong Kong people towards ruling by the Communist Party after 1997, Hong Kong people were offered British National (Overseas) (BNO) status upon neutralisation to Britain before 1997. Upon introduction of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, about 150,000 Hong Kong people migrated to Britain via the BNO migration pathway. Many of them were middle class professionals earning a high salary in Hong Kong. These people embrace freedom of speech and democracy in the city they live after they had achieved food shelter, friends and love, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. However, when they came to Britain, their monthly salary was merely half or one-third of their old salary in Hong Kong. In this paper, I shall compare their financial situation when they were in Hong Kong and when they are now in Britain. I shall also study if their migration decision was justified because they are leading a harder life in Britain despite the fact that they seemed to have gained freedom of speech and the democracy they have hoped for.

Keywords :BNO migration, Hong Kong to Britain, National Security Law, financial impact Freedom vs livelihood, Maslow’s hierarchy, democratic values, migration decision

Conference Name :INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PSYCHOLOGY, LANGUAGE AND TEACHING (ICPLT-25)

Conference Place Manchester, England

Conference Date 18th Jun 2025