London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

Moving to the UK does not guarantee happiness

Moving to the UK does not guarantee happiness

An economist warned parents that their unhappy children may not feel better even if the family moves to the United Kingdom.
Professor Ho Lok-sang , a senior research fellow at Pan Sutong Shanghai-HK Economic Policy Research Institute of Lingnan University, said he'd been carrying out an annual survey on happiness since 2006 and had been struck by Hong Kong people's resilience after the 2008 global financial crisis.

During the RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong program, he quoted a recent study by the Boys and Girls Clubs Association which found that Hong Kong children’s happiness had fallen to the lowest level in five years, but warned against expecting Britain to be any better.

"The 2020 Good Childhood Report from the UK also noted that average happiness with life among 10 to 15 year olds in the UK continues to decline and that 15 year olds in the UK are among the saddest and least satisfied with their lives in Europe. This suggests that migrating to the UK is unlikely to make our children happier."

"If your mind is not in peace, anywhere you go, you will still not feel at home," he said.

Ho added that Hongkongers should instead "nurture a mind that can be at ease with ourselves."

Since its launch in January, more than 35,000 British National Overseas (BNO) citizens from Hong Kong have applied for the United Kingdom's five-year visa scheme, which allows them to apply for settled status after the five-year stay, and citizenship after an additional 12 months.

Some 350,000 Hongkongers hold BNO passports and a further 2.5 million are eligible for one.

With an additional 2.5 million dependants, up to 5.4 million Hongkongers could apply for the visa and a path to full British citizenship.

The fast track was introduced after China imposed the national security law in Hong Kong.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move honored the UK's "profound ties of history and friendship" with the ex-British colony. "I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BNOs to live, work and make their home in our country."

The British Home Office has forecast that between 123,000 and 153,000 BNO citizens and their dependants will apply in the first year.

However, the UK government noted that if the rate of Hongkongers applying for the visa continued like this, the total application might exceed 150,000 in the first year. This would be far beyond the UK's estimation.

On April 8, the UK's Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said £43 million (HK$460 million) had been earmarked for a supporting package to the BNO holders emigrating to the UK.

"This program will ensure British National (Overseas) status holders and their families have the very best start as soon as they arrive, and support to help them find a home, schools for their children, opportunity, and prosperity," Jenrick said.

The Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Integration Programme will also provide 12 virtual “welcome hubs” across the UK to offer advice and help with administrative matters including schooling, healthcare, and business registration.

Schools in the UK are also planning to teach the historical connection between Hong Kong and the UK.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
×