Human rights groups recommend that the new British government allow Hong Kong students to study at universities at local tuition fees

Last week, the British human rights organization Hong Kong Watch published a briefing on the " British-Hong Kong Policy Roadmap ", proposing five major demands to the new British government, including sanctions on Hong Kong government officials, expanding the eligibility of British National (Overseas) passport (BN(O)) visa applications, etc. In addition, it strives to allow BN(O) students to study at local universities at "local student tuition fees" rather than "international student tuition fees" which are several times higher.

The new British Parliament will take office in the middle of this month, with the Labour Party replacing the Conservative Party to control Parliament and the Downing Street Cabinet. The human rights organization "Hong Kong Monitor" released the "UK-Hong Kong Policy Roadmap", demanding that the new Parliament and government continue to monitor and respond to the situation in Hong Kong.

The roadmap puts forward five major demands, including urging the British government to review the status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, imposing sanctions on Hong Kong government officials, and responding to the economic and cross-border repression suffered by the Hong Kong community in the UK, including putting pressure on British financial institutions such as HSBC to allow Hong Kong people to withdraw their mandatory provident funds early.

Tuition fees for international students become a heavy burden for Hong Kong families migrating to the UK

As for the requirements with wider impact, they include maintaining and expanding the eligibility criteria for BN(O) visa applications, so that Hong Kong residents born in Hong Kong between 1979 and 1997 whose parents did not apply for BN(O) passports at the time can also apply for BN(O) visas; and allowing Hong Kong students who immigrate to the UK through the BN(O) visa program to study at British universities at the "home fee".

Under current regulations, Hong Kong students who immigrate to the UK on a BN(O) visa must pay the "international fee" to study at a local university before they have lived in the UK (except Scotland) for five years and obtained permanent residency. This means they have to pay tuition fees of between £11,400 and £38,000 per year. In comparison, the tuition fees for local students are only a maximum of £9,250 per year, which is a huge difference.

 The briefing of "Hong Kong Monitor" mentioned that almost all other British Overseas Territories Residents (BOTC) who have the right to naturalize as British Overseas Citizens (BOC) no longer have to pay international student tuition fees since 2007. However, Hong Kong people holding BN(O) visas have been deprived of their due treatment due to historical reasons of the transfer of sovereignty in 1997. It believes that BN(O) Hong Kong people and their descendants should not be regarded as ordinary overseas students.

Due to the high tuition fees, some Hong Kong people are considering temporarily stopping their studies or even returning to Hong Kong for further studies

The Hong Kong Student Alliance (HKSA), a Hong Kong organization in the UK, estimates that in the next few years, at least 1,500 to 2,000 Hong Kong students in the UK will be eligible to go to university each year, but the burden of international students' tuition fees has troubled many Hong Kong families in the UK.

A Hong Kong student, alias T, can theoretically go directly to university after the college entrance examination. Her sister is also studying at a university in the UK with international student tuition fees, but she is considering stopping her studies for a year or more after the college entrance examination, obtaining permanent residency after a "gap year", and then going to university with local student tuition fees.

T said: "In fact, my family can afford to pay for two international students' tuition fees, but I don't want to pay because it is really much more expensive, three times more. In fact, a gap year may only be a matter of one or two years, so why should I pay three times the price? My parents work in the UK and they pay taxes."

HKSA spokesman Clark Leung said in an interview with this station that the cases currently seeking help from the organization due to financial reasons are mainly considering temporarily taking a leave of absence from study, but 5 to 10 cases are considering returning to Hong Kong to attend university.

Scotland allows Hong Kong residents to study at university for free after three years of settlement

The Scottish government revised its policy in May 2023 to allow Hong Kong residents with BN(O) status to receive free higher education after living in the country for three years. Clark believes that the "three-year limit" is fairer to all parties, but whether the Labour Party can successfully fight for similar treatment after taking office depends on more factors.

Clark said: "I will consider several aspects, including the current social environment and economic situation in the UK. If we can, our HKSA will continue to fight for the government to allow local student tuition and living loan to go to university after 3 years of immigration, because after all, BN(O) Hong Kong people are all British. Even if we have to wait for 5 years, it will affect some friends who are very interested in going to university."

Clark revealed that he had also experienced a period of taking a leave of absence from school, and it took time for him to adapt when he returned to school. Fortunately, the school provided support in different aspects.

The special report published by "Hong Kong Monitor" in March this year also made two recommendations, including following the practice of the Scottish government or allowing BN(O) students to pay international student tuition fees in installments.

Currently, international students at some public universities in European countries, such as Université Paris Cité and Université Paris-Saclay, do not have to pay tuition fees; all public universities in Germany are also tuition-free, but non-EU students in some states must pay approximately 1,500 euros in tuition fees per semester.