CREATING A NEW CHINESE COMMUNITY IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS
The introduction of National Securities legislation has led to the UK government offering BNO passport holders the right to settle in the UK as from January 2021 as well as funding a welcome package for HKers amounting to £43 million to be accessible through local authority services in England, Scotland and Wales. It has been reported that as of April approximately 140,000 to 150,000 BNO passport holders have applied to the UK under the new visa scheme with pathway to citizenship after 5 years of residency.
For the last four months, I have been engaged with a group of HKers who have arrived in Britain through the BN(O) Visa scheme. I understand that in Kent there are approximately 2,250 families1, a large percentage of whom settled in Tunbridge Wells. This is a considerable influx of people to integrate in a small town of 30 to 40,000. My engagement with HKers has been as a local Councillor dealing with complex problems of social isolation, child mental health, racial abuse and generally with relocation Some of our arrivals have found immediate employment using existing skills and others are thinking of setting up in business.
It has been gratifying to see this group setting up their first community interest company (CIC) to open up involvement by the HKBNO community. Our first priority will be educational integration. To this end, we have enlisted the help of Hong Kong Well UK, a charity based in Surrey who assist young school age children to settle and continue their studies which have been interrupted by their relocation as well as the civil disturbances in HK.
Through the Welcome package offered by SE Strategic Migration Partnership (SESPM) we hope to ensure wider integration such as the Every Child Welcome and Parent Support programme offered by the Medway Chinese Methodist Church (MCMC). Sunday School and Youth Clubs are run by MCMC to welcome children and young people to their activities on Sundays and throughout the week including a Chinese language school on Saturdays and Sundays during term time; to include Cantonese and ESOL.
Other ways in which local authorities can help are young people from 18 years and over may need higher education loans and grants and may therefore, seek low interest loans.
Schools may have to provide programmes to help young students with continuing their studies which were interrupted due to political suppression in HK
Local authorities could facilitate apprenticeship programmes.
On Employment, government may have to implement a scheme similar to recognition of the non-EU qualifications whilst facilitating job seeking, matching or apprenticeship by setting up job centres for BN(O) visa holders.
Hongkongers in Britain suggests that local authorities could include the exemption from proof of address for opening of bank accounts or rental accommodation by the use of Post Office addresses. Where required local authorities could provide temporary accommodation whilst migrants settle down and provide practical information on registering for a GP or dentist, a school, closest pharmacy, banking, where to find accommodation, shopping/retail, where to find parks, sports centres, cinema, theatres, libraries and community centres.
Editor: Should you like to discuss this with Cllr Morton or with anyone from CLD, please email info@chineselibdems.org,uk