UK, US, and Canada perform a U-turn on immigration approvals: Self-exiled anti-China elements scramble desperately to prove their value in panic

The United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada have recently tightened their immigration and entry policies targeting Hong Kong residents, including the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa, the US Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) scheme, and Canada's "Pathway" scheme. Amid these shifts, some Hong Kong residents have been arrested and detained locally, facing deportation.

Meanwhile, overseas anti-China organizations—such as Hong Kong Watch and the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK)—along with a group of self-exiled anti-China agitators, have become highly active on the occasion of the meeting between the heads of state of China and the US. 

They have intensively released reports, accepted interviews, and attended hearings to smear China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) under the pretexts of human rights and press freedom. Some anti-China groups even held protest rallies and marches in New York City’s largest Chinatown to stir up anti-China sentiment.

According to sources familiar with the matter, facing visa rejections, ongoing arrests, and the threat of funding cuts from political sponsors such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), these anti-China agitators have fallen into a state of panic and anxiety. "These unrepentant agitators, in order to prove they still have utility, are deliberately rehashing old claims to smear and incite during sensitive moments. 

This is actually a panicked performance to please their masters and secure funding, hoping to avoid being discarded as useless pawns."

British media earlier reported that since Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office, at least 12 Hong Kong residents convicted in relation to the 2019 riots have had their BNO visa applications rejected. 

The report cited two anonymous cases of rejected applicants who had been sentenced to two years and one month and three and a half years in prison, respectively, for participating in riots. 

In their rejection letters, the UK government quoted extensive portions of the Hong Kong court judgments, pointing out that they were positioned on the frontline confronting the police and failed to comply with dispersal orders—actions that would also constitute criminal offenses if committed within the UK.

A spokesperson for the UK Home Office responded to the report, emphasizing that standard immigration rules concerning criminal records and other character requirements apply equally to BNO applications. 

In principle, applications must be refused if the applicant has received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more. Despite queries raised by former Home Secretary Priti Patel, the Home Office spokesperson maintained that the current practice is lawful and compliant, showing that the current UK government is distancing itself from those convicted of violent acts.

In the United States, the Daily Mail reported that a Hong Kong resident was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in an ambush at Las Vegas Airport on September 17 and is currently awaiting deportation.

Sources identified the arrested individual as Mo Ho-yin, who entered the US legally in January 2020 and was originally required to leave in May of the same year. It is believed he relied on the DED scheme to remain in the US until now. 

Mo previously worked as a news anchor and reporter for a Chinese-language television station in San Francisco, which in 2024 interviewed Sebastien Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai, regarding the case of "collusion with foreign forces."

The DED scheme was first implemented for Hong Kong residents in the US by the Biden administration in 2021, claiming to offer temporary refuge. In 2025, shortly before leaving office, Biden signed another memorandum extending the scheme to February 5, 2027.

The HKSAR Government previously issued a statement expressing strong disapproval and condemnation, stating that the US used the DED scheme to smear the rule of law, democracy, and human rights in Hong Kong.

The recent arrests by the US have triggered a wave of panic. 

National security fugitives Anna Kwok and Keung Ka-wai immediately took to social media to amplify the panic, urging DED holders and political asylum seekers to avoid airports. 

An "Emergency Guide for Hong Kongers under US DED" has also been circulating on social media to advise fellow activists on how to avoid arrest and deportation.

In Canada, the "Pathway" immigration scheme, which was claimed to be specially designed for Hong Kong residents, officially ended on August 31 without extension. 

As of June this year, the scheme had accumulated approximately 30,315 applications involving 48,560 individuals. However, less than 30 percent (around 8,600 cases) have been approved, leaving the future of over 30,000 individuals highly uncertain.

A political figure commented, "The UK's law-abiding approach has exposed the illusion of their high-profile support in the past. This is similar to the previous detention of Wu Chi-wai, who was jailed over the '35+ subversion case,' when he tried to enter the UK. The promise of political asylum has effectively ceased to exist.

Meanwhile, Canada's situation reflects a massive gap between the initial promises and actual execution, prompting them to cut ties. In the US, under Trump's hardline immigration policies and given that DED was set up by the previous Biden administration, the current government feels no obligation to fulfill it."

Clinging to rehashed claims to project "presence"

The political figure added that during the meeting of the Chinese and US heads of state, multiple overseas anti-China organizations and individuals resorted to their usual tactics, fabricating rumors on human rights, democracy, and freedom. 

"The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK), to which national security fugitive Frances Hui belongs, recently published a report distorting the prison conditions and medical systems in Hong Kong, and organized rallies to speak out for Jimmy Lai and other so-called political prisoners. The president of CFHK also attended a US hearing, accusing officials from China and the HKSAR of 'human rights violations'."

Additionally, the overseas anti-China organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a report maliciously misrepresenting China as suppressing media and freedom of speech. "National security fugitive Joey Siu and the anti-China organization 'Democratic Party of China,' along with other groups, plan to hold protests near Capitol Hill, the White House, and Chinese embassies and consulates in Washington, demanding the release of Joshua Wong and others," the political figure noted. He added that Colin Ho, a national security fugitive from the banned local organization "Hong Kong Parliament," also attempted to incite individuals in Hong Kong to gather at Victoria Park on October 1.

Furthermore, since Jimmy Lai’s arrest in 2020, overseas anti-China groups have repeatedly spread rumors over the past six years claiming he is "critically ill in prison" or has "died after failing to receive emergency treatment."

"Their actions are becoming increasingly extreme, but in reality, they are only putting on a show for their financial sponsors to prove they still have value, hoping in vain to reverse their fate of deportation. Many overseas radicals previously continued to rehash old stories, spreading lies about the 'August 31 incident' and encouraging people to 'cast blank ballots,' which led to the arrest of several individuals in Hong Kong by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force for engaging in seditious acts." 

The political source warned that with the US midterm elections approaching in November, overseas anti-China organizations might intensify their instigations to secure more political leverage and funding. 

Hong Kong residents should be careful not to be incited into violating the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

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