Post-2019 Hong Kong migration to the United Kingdom : drivers, identity, and change

Abstract

Driven by socio-political changes in the city and favourable immigration citizenship pathways offered by several foreign governments, Hong Kong (HK) has been experiencing massive human outflows since 2019. Amongst the various destinations that HK people have headed to, the United Kingdom (UK) remains the most popular. What makes Hong Kongers opt for a new yet uncertain life abroad? Do these recent emigrants form a distinctive diaspora in the UK? This chapter examines post-2019 emigration of HK people to the UK. We explore various drivers that propelled Hong Kongers to set off for the UK and investigate how social networks facilitate and condition migrants’ adjustment to the new environment. We also examine how members of the new HK diaspora grapple with their evolving identities as they confront challenges in their new lives abroad. In so doing, we add to emerging scholarship on post-2019 HK migrations with an account of the migratory processes, post-migration experiences, and identity formation of new HK immigrants in the UK.