Sam Goodman: Canada’s decision to announce a lifeboat scheme aimed at young Hong Kongers is the right thing to do

Following the decision by Beijing to purge the Hong Kong Legislature of pro-democracy voices, last week Canada became the third country alongside the UK and Australia to review its visa and immigration policies to create a lifeboat scheme for Hong Kongers in need of escape from the city. 

The specific details of the numbers who will benefit from the scheme or the costs associated with it have yet to be announced, nor its start date confirmed, but the decision by the Canadian Government to offer a bespoke scheme for young Hong Kongers particularly should be welcomed.

Hong Kong’s anti-Extradition Bill protests last year was primarily led by students, many of whom were born after the city’s handover. There is therefore a pointed irony that despite the generous offer of the UK Government in offering British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders a route out of the city, those that are most vulnerable to the prospect of arrest under the National Security Law are not covered by the UK’s BNO scheme. 

Since the National Security Law’s introduction in July, an increasing number of young vulnerable Hong Kongers in need of a lifeline out of the city have found themselves faced with the difficult task of navigating Western asylum systems. This task has been made all the more difficult by the fact that many countries borders are shut as a result of COVID-19 and the human rights situation in Hong Kong has not deteriorated enough for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to formally list the situation in Hong Kong as a ‘humanitarian crisis’. 

With this context the Canadian Government’s offer of a three-year work visa for Hong Kong graduates and their dependents presents a viable pathway to get young Hong Kongers out of the city. Ensuring that Hong Kongers do not end up stuck in the Western asylum systems, but have the opportunity to work, study, and contribute their substantial talents to Canadian society.  

The Canadian Government’s decision to offer a targeted pathway for young Hong Kongers is not something that has been cooked up overnight but a policy that has come about after substantial consultation and months of Hong Kong groups and international parliamentarians calling for likeminded partners to collaborate and coordinate an international lifeboat scheme. 

In September 2019, over 150 UK parliamentarians called for the UK Government to actively consult Commonwealth countries on the need for an ‘insurance policy’ for Hong Kongers in the form of second citizenship or the right of abode based on shared values and a shared history. Following the introduction of the National Security Law, both Lord Alton of Liverpool and the former Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes in July wrote separately to the Canadian Foreign Minister calling for a targeted ‘Young Talents Scheme’ to allow Hong Kongers who do not qualify for BNO status to study and work in Canada as a lifeline. 

Last week’s announcement by the Canadian Government reflects a willingness by Ministers to listen to these calls and offer a targeted scheme that complements and addresses the clear gap in the UK’s BNO announcement.

Alongside the Australian Government’s offer of a five-year graduate visa for Hong Kong students, the Canadian Government’s announcement could go some way to addressing this gap, with at least 200,000 Hong Kongers aged between 21-28 having a post-secondary education and potentially being eligible to move to Canada to take up the scheme. 

Of course, this new work visa is not a panacea to the huge logistical and financial obstacles facing many Hong Kongers who feel that they can no longer stay in a city that is increasingly unrecognisable. Some have criticised the lack of generosity towards Hong Kongers more broadly, particularly when it comes to family reunification and asylum. 

Going forward, the Canadian Government should carefully consider how it can build upon this announcement and answer these criticisms, including through the possible expansion of its youth mobility visa scheme to allow Hong Kongers outside of post-secondary education the opportunity to work in Canada for two years to qualify for this new lifeboat scheme. 

In a week where far too many governments responded to the stamping out of Hong Kong’s democracy with lacklustre statements of concern and condemnation, the Canadian Government’s announcement of targeted action deserves credit. Not only does it legitimise the plight of Hong Kongers and the need for more countries to offer similar lifeboat schemes, but it also recognises the Canadian Government’s responsibility to stand up Hong Kong. 

Considering the continued detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in China and previous threats the Chinese Government has made of retaliation against the 300,000 Canadians living overseas in Hong Kong, Ministers may have been forgiven for ducking this issue and doing nothing.

Instead, the Canadian Government has joined with the UK and Australia in introducing policy changes that will guarantee Hong Kongers a viable pathway out of the city. Ensuring that Hong Kong students do not spend the rest of their lives in prison but can get out, regroup, and organise from abroad. An international lifeboat scheme is the first step, in ensuring that the fight goes on and the hope of a free Hong Kong never dies.

This article was translated in Chinese and published in the Stand News on 22 November 2020. (Photo: Stand News)

Sam Goodman is Senior Policy Adviser at Hong Kong Watch.

Prior to joining Hong Kong Watch, he worked as a political adviser for the Labour Party, a parliamentary aide to several Labour Members of Parliament, and worked in the US House of Representatives for Congressman Bobby L Rush. He has a background in British foreign policy as an associate of the British Foreign Policy Group and the author of 'The Imperial Premiership: the role of the modern prime minister in foreign policymaking 1964-2015'.