It has been 20 years since Hong Kong's return to China. In this big city, Hong Kong, some people have come and some have left. Data released by the government earlier showed that the number of Hong Kong people immigrating to foreign countries has picked up again in recent years. Among them, some Hong Kong people cannot bear the rapid pace and high prices of Hong Kong and have invested and started businesses in foreign countries. Some scholars believe that the new wave of immigration is similar to that of 1997.
According to the estimated number of immigrants released by the Security Bureau earlier, the number of Hong Kong people immigrating to foreign countries has increased by more than 10% since 2014, and Kytus is one of them. Kytus, who currently runs a diving shop in Okinawa, Japan, went to Australia for a working holiday in 2010 and returned to Hong Kong to resume his teaching job two years later. However, he found it difficult to adapt to life in Hong Kong. "When working in Hong Kong, work often starts and ends, and the cost of living is also higher than It’s much higher in Australia. Working in Hong Kong until 2 or 3 a.m. every day, the income is about the same as working in an Australian chain fast food restaurant.”
Can obtain the right of residence after operating for 10 years
Kytus once visited Okinawa and found that there were many Chinese tourists there, but few diving shops provided Chinese services. He spotted the business opportunities, so he applied for a "Business Management Visa" in 2015 and opened a local diving shop. The investment amount was 500 entry fees. He and his partner spent a total of 7.5 million yen (approximately HK$530,000). After 10 years of business operation, they will obtain permanent residence status.
Kytus also believes that the cost of living in Okinawa is low, with prices only one-third of those in Hong Kong. In addition, the rent is low, making it suitable for business. The monthly rent of the diving shop is 150,000 yen (about 10,000 Hong Kong dollars), and it broke even in the first year of opening. And he The monthly income is about 200,000 yen (about 14,000 Hong Kong dollars). However, Kytus admitted that there are also some difficulties in adapting: "Japanese people have many rules in doing things, and sometimes they feel like they are in prison. Japanese girls are also more reserved and will not reveal their inner thoughts at will. In comparison, Hong Kong girls are more independent and don't need to talk. .
Scholars worry about losing talents due to immigration flow
Pan Xuezhi, a research assistant at the Shanghai-Hong Kong Development Joint Research Institute of CUHK, quoted an earlier study by CUHK as saying that the main reasons for Hong Kong immigrants include dissatisfaction with government policies, cramped living environment and social divisions. “The main destinations for immigrants are the United States, Australia and Canada. These are The places have larger living environments and higher degrees of freedom, and many people immigrate because they are worried about their political prospects. This is very similar to the immigration wave before 1997."
Pan Xuezhi also pointed out that taking Australia as an example, most Hong Kong people immigrating there are mainly 30 to 40 years old, which is their prime age, which will cause Hong Kong to lose important human resources. However, he believes that the immigration wave will not continue because in addition to the difficulty in changing the living environment, the political environment has also gradually reversed. Moreover, there is no "dead line" in time like there was in the past. Many people hold a wait-and-see attitude and are not in a hurry to immigrate.
