Australian government plans to offer solutions to Hong Kong residents
In recent news, China’s top legislative body has passed the national security law for Hong Kong as it moves towards promulgation without local legislative oversight. Hong Kong police arrested more than 300 people during protests after the new laws came into force.
Following the footsteps of the United Kingdom, Australia is set to offer safe haven visas to Hong Kong residents who wish to leave the country in the midst of protests and arrests.
The Australian government is weighing up using the existing humanitarian intake or setting up a separate stream for Hong Kong migrants, which have historically been highly valued due to their strong skills and educational backgrounds.
The government has yet to establish whether it would implement a Hong Kong exception on the ban on all non-Australians traveling to Australia due to COVID-19.
The Australian government has been wary of sticking its neck out on the issue up until now after repeated diplomatic stoushes with Beijing over the coronavirus crisis led to a series of trade spats over beef, barley, tourism and international students this year. Any move to offer refuge to Hong Kong residents is likely to once again inflame bilateral tensions, despite Britain leading the global push.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help
If you are a Hong Kong national who wish to leave the country in the midst of the protests and arrests, please contact us. Our team of immigration lawyers and migration agents are highly trained and are on standby to assist you. You can contact us on info@ahclawyers.com or call us on 02 7200 2700.
We speak fluent English, Korean, Burmese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian and Malay. If these aren’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter
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