Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Why making migrants feel welcome matters

Success of Hong Kongers in Britain can be ‘Integration Blueprint’

Why making migrants feel welcome matters

DOWNING STREET had a make-over last week.

There were hanging lanterns in the staircases alongside the portraits of former prime ministers. Cherry blossom and auspicious orchids decorated the reception rooms.


Rishi Sunak was celebrating Lunar New Year, noting that the year of the rabbit’s traditional association with peace and prosperity would be much needed in 2023.

The Lunar New Year framing was a subtle shift from past events billed as marking Chinese New Year. Its broader message was intended to be more inclusive of those in Britain from China, Korea, Vietnam and beyond, placing less emphasis too on the increasingly fractious government-to-government relationship with Beijing.

Simon Cheng and Julian Chan, co-founders of the Hong Kongers in Britain group, felt that this demonstrated a growing UK government understanding in dealing with sensitive, nuanced topics.

Sunak was particularly keen to welcome the UK’s growing community of Hong Kongers, celebrating the fact that 140,000 people had taken up the new British National (Overseas) visa route since it opened two years ago.

“As a Hong Kong filmmaker who is new to this country, I felt very honoured to be invited to the prime minister’s home to celebrate the Lunar New Year,” said Ka Leung Ng, who is curating the Hong Kong film festival which tells new and untold stories of Hong Kongers.

Joyce Chiang of the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers added that being invited to Downing Street felt like “a great encouragement” for those doing the work of welcoming, helping new arrivals to find their feet to contribute fully to British society.

Welcoming Hong Kongers to Britain has been an important yet quiet success story. Perhaps its unsung nature partly reflects the absence of any political or public controversy. The decision to invite this wave of migration from Hong Kong was one of the first big immigration policy decisions as to what post-Brexit Britain would choose to do with its new immigration controls. So it is striking that the BN(O) scheme has had pretty much universal support across the parties in parliament, and broad public support too.

The government’s official Hong Kong welcome programme is among the most proactive integration initiatives that Britain has ever had for any incoming group. It has laid solid foundations. Research and engagement find that Hong Kongers feel welcomed in Britain and have made a good start navigating the practical challenges, understanding the UK’s housing markets and how school admissions work.

LEAD Comment Sunder Katwala byline pic 1 Sunder Katwala

This will be a year to reflect more broadly on what makes welcoming work. March sees the first anniversary of the Homes for Ukraine scheme – an emergency response to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion. This followed the evacuation from Afghanistan, where moving families from temporary hotel accommodation into communities has progressed slowly.

Insights from the successes and challenges of welcoming programmes can help illuminate how to make migration work for those who come to Britain and the society they join.

Getting the foundations right matters. Secure status in the UK, fluency in English and stable accommodation are essential. Over half of those who have come from Hong Kong, Ukraine and Afghanistan are children, so ensuring that schools have the confidence and tools to address a range of educational and pastoral challenges makes a big difference.

Helping adults to find work – and to use their skills and qualifications fully – will also contribute to social contact, along with how faith and civic groups can help arrivals understand their new home and contribute to social life here.

This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush, the symbolic starting point for post-war migration and a modern, diverse Britain. These new arrivals from Hong Kong will join the post-war Windrush generation, the Ugandan Asians of half a century ago, the Polish workers who came after 2004, and those who have fled Ukraine and Afghanistan last year, as one of the migration stories of this next decade.

Net migration has been exceptionally high in 2022 for exceptional reasons – the refugees from Ukraine are the largest single group to arrive in one year for a century – but also because of the government’s policy choices. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt expects net migration to come down towards 2019 levels, but he has no plan to push it down further.

The government chose to combine the end of free movement with more open routes from outside Europe, seeking to grow Britain’s share of international students; making it easier for the NHS to fill skills gaps; and opening the Hong Kong route because of historic obligations and the economic and social contribution that Hong Kongers will make here.

The politics of immigration remain dominated by polarising clashes about asylum. How we make welcoming work offers one constructive opportunity to find common ground.

More For You

Comment: Ramadan’s message of unity, charity, and faith can inspire us all

Nigel Huddleston

Comment: Ramadan’s message of unity, charity, and faith can inspire us all

Nigel Huddleston

RAMADAN is a unique and special time for Muslims in Britain and across the world. It is a time to reflect on and renew their faith, through devotion and spirituality, while fulfilling the five pillars of Islam.

During this hugely important time of prayer and fasting, the message of Ramadan is one we can all relate to – especially the importance of charity and compassion. These core values at the heart of Islamic faith are the very same values that those of all faiths or none can aspire to.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: ‘UK’s multicultural identity owes much to south Asians’

Lord Kamlesh Patel of Bradford, chair of the project; Vikram Doraiswami, India’s high commissioner to the UK; Lord Navnit Dholakia, former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats; and Professor Mark Smith, vice-chancellor of the University of Southampton, at the launch of the Ramniklal Solanki Pioneers Project in July 2024

Comment: ‘UK’s multicultural identity owes much to south Asians’

Sabu S Padmadas

IN 1951, Sardar Harnam Singh Roudh arrived by himself to England from Punjab, carrying only a suitcase of clothes and £3 in his pocket.

His legacy as a pioneer is best remembered for his compassionate leadership and selfless service in uniting people from diverse backgrounds, while championing the local Sikh community to thrive in a multicultural Britain.

Keep ReadingShow less
Viras’ book 'Art Under the Indian Sun' dives into artistic legacies of Raj

Jennifer Howes, Ratna Vira and Sona Datta

Viras’ book 'Art Under the Indian Sun' dives into artistic legacies of Raj

Dr Sona Datta

ON A crisp evening before Christmas, I found myself at the Traveller’s Club in London’s posh Pall Mall.

Like other anachronisms of old England, this particular place doesn’t permit unaccompanied women. So, Jennifer Howes (an expat Canadian) and me (a British-born Bengali) arrived as two arch Indophiles, sporting silk scarves and lipstick, for an author-talk at the invitation of the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less
Russia's 'Ghost Fleet': Navigating the Murky Waters of Sanctions and Oil Transport

Russia's 'Ghost Fleet': Navigating the Murky Waters of Sanctions and Oil Transport

In the wake of stringent Western sanctions aimed at curbing Russia's oil revenues, a clandestine network of aging tankers, dubbed the "ghost fleet," has emerged as a pivotal player in global oil transportation. This fleet operates under a veil of secrecy, employing tactics designed to circumvent international restrictions. While effective in sustaining Russia's oil exports, the ghost fleet introduces a host of challenges and risks to the global oil market.

The Genesis of the Ghost Fleet

Keep ReadingShow less
Aga Khan IV tribute: ‘Life defined by service to humanity

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and Lord Tariq Ahmad

Aga Khan IV tribute: ‘Life defined by service to humanity

Lord Tariq Ahmad

LAST Tuesday (4), I learned of the sad news of the passing of an incredible humanitarian, scholar and religious leader, who inspired and brought hope to millions – His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the Imam of the Ismaili Muslims. (To god we belong, to god we shall return).

He was a global leader renowned for his contribution to humanitarian work, development and the promotion of pluralism, religious coexistence and was a guardian of cultural heritage. Prince Karim Aga Khan studied in Switzerland and later at Harvard University, where he earned a degree in Islamic history in 1959. His studies provided him with a deep understanding of his faith and global affairs, shaping his leadership and vision for his community and his service to humanitarian causes.

Keep ReadingShow less