Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents • Hacker News Board

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#221

Post by mytailorisrich » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:36 PM UTC

throwaway1997 wrote: post #30

whatshisface wrote: post #6

If I was China, I would love for the US and the UK to take the law-aware and dissident people off my hands.

It will disproportionately take away the more wealthy and better educated. The majority of HKers live in public housing, pay no tax and are unlikely to have the means to live in the UK since there will be no recourse to public funds. This level of brain drain, as in the other mass migration events away from HK, could trigger the government to loosen their grip.

There is no risk of a brain drain. There are plenty of well educated mainlanders who will be happy to take jobs in HK.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#222

Post by koheripbal » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:36 PM UTC

dennisgorelik wrote: post #218

99_00 wrote: post #198

I live in Vancouver. The pattern for many Hong Kong immigrants is to have the mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. So they enjoy the benefits of a low tax HK income. And they get all the nice things that go with living in high tax Canada while not contributing to it -free healthcare, subsided University, safe communities, clean enviro…

> mother and children live in Canada When these children grow up - they will pay taxes in Canada. It looks like a good deal for Canada. Even if father's income is taxed in Hong Kong only.

It would be an even better deal if the father worked in Canada and paid Canadian taxes.

Besides, you are assuming that the children of this tax evader aren't going to figure out some other method of avoiding Canadian taxes - like doing literally exactly the same thing.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#223

Post by brabel » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:36 PM UTC

MattGaiser wrote: post #86

entropea wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bet we'll see nearly no refugees from Hong Kong when data starts appearing in a few years.

Refugee is an official term with an official meaning. Anyone coming from Hong Kong doesn't fit that.

Of course they do: if they claim China is threatening them with prison for political reasons, they absolutely can claim asylum based on political persecution.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#224

Post by dennisgorelik » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:37 PM UTC

woodpanel wrote: post #36

whatshisface wrote: post #6

If I was China, I would love for the US and the UK to take the law-aware and dissident people off my hands.

From what I've heard almost everyone tries to get out, so I expect that the alleged hope of the CPC will come true. Nonetheless it is the right thing to do for the UK (where are the EU nations on this?), and exile doesn't have to mean abandoning the future of your birthplace. Hong Kongers might be able to achieve more for HK from the UK than under a Beijing cyber-dictatorship.

> Hong Kongers might be able to achieve more for HK from the UK

Hong Kongers are likely to achieve more for the world - from UK rather than from authoritarian China. The fate of Hong Kong, specifically, is not that important.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#225

Post by gentleman11 » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:37 PM UTC

99_00 wrote: post #198

I live in Vancouver. The pattern for many Hong Kong immigrants is to have the mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. So they enjoy the benefits of a low tax HK income. And they get all the nice things that go with living in high tax Canada while not contributing to it -free healthcare, subsided University, safe communities, clean enviro…

Canada, in general, is famous for massive tax loopholes and hiding income. It is not really a hk issue and is in the news on its own “merits” all the time. There are so many wealthy Canadians avoiding taxes that apparently the national debt could be cleared if we could find a way to make them pay

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#226

Post by refurb » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:37 PM UTC

dennisgorelik wrote: post #218

99_00 wrote: post #198

I live in Vancouver. The pattern for many Hong Kong immigrants is to have the mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. So they enjoy the benefits of a low tax HK income. And they get all the nice things that go with living in high tax Canada while not contributing to it -free healthcare, subsided University, safe communities, clean enviro…

> mother and children live in Canada When these children grow up - they will pay taxes in Canada. It looks like a good deal for Canada. Even if father's income is taxed in Hong Kong only.

Are you sure? Or maybe they'll go work in Hong Kong too with the knowledge their Canadian passport gives them a nice escape plan.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#227

Post by woodpanel » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:38 PM UTC

brabel wrote: post #213

woodpanel wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Relatively few" for Germany means e.g. - if you're looking for a job here, as an US citizen you get 3 months visa without questions asked - there is no minimum amount of money needed in Germany for US citizens, neither as a deposit nor as pay

I believe that in all countries in Europe, there's a requirement that the pay be at market level to avoid the exploitation of immigrants (there's no distinction based on country of origin as you seem to imply), and that the job be advertised first with the EU's job agency (whatever that is called, I forgot now) and EU citizens are able to apply before an immigrant may be allowed to apply and take the job.

" the pay be at market level "

I believe that is called minimum wage? So that would be already a given.

there's no distinction based on country of origin as you seem to imply

there is a distinction: There is a German by-law as well as a EU-decree that classifies US Americans as citizens of a "priviliged country" (§ 26 BeschV (Verordnung über die Beschäftigung von Ausländern)).

https://www.bdae.com/journalbeitraege/dezember-2016-leben-un...

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#228

Post by refurb » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:39 PM UTC

mytailorisrich wrote: post #205

csomar wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hong Kong is very British, though. Most of the other colonized parts are not (Exceptions maybe Canada, NZ and Australia). But traveling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, you can feel that there is a significant culture gap. Also Hong Kong appears to have lots of British banking connections like HSBC and Standard Chartered.

Hongkong looks somewhat British in some aspects but not many. I think the main culture gap is that HK has kept a traditional Chinese culture that was swept away on the mainland. > like HSBC The name which means the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Company. A bank founded in China (Hongkong) by the British.

I think Hong Kong looks very British! At least in comparison to the other Asian nations that don't have a British Colonial history.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#229

Post by koheripbal » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:39 PM UTC

nly wrote: post #87

sampo wrote: post #67

68% of conservative voters, 71% of labour voters, and 77% of libdem voters support this. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2020/0...

Surprising isn't it, given how much of a driving force EU immigration was in the Brexit debate.

No - because these are RICH Asian migrants, not POOR North African and Syrian migrants.

It's a combination of differential racism and elitism.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#230

Post by TimTheTinker » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:39 PM UTC

muro wrote: post #181

TimTheTinker wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m really curious: what is your experience that you’re referring to?

I grew up in a communist country. Good riddance to them, only a shame that so few were prosecuted for ruining the lives of so many.

Who in their right mind downvotes this ^? If you do downvote, I'd really like to know why.

Communism is manifestly a negative influence on mankind's well-being... don't know how anyone could rationally think otherwise (unless you grew up in a communist country and believe the propaganda).