Hong Kong opposition leader granted UK stay

Wu Chi-Wai, a former leader of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong, was recently granted permission to stay in the UK for six months.

He initially arrived in the UK last Wednesday to reunite with his family but was told he could only stay for one week.

His lawyer, Paul Harris, informed Reuters that the authorities withdrew the one-week limit and granted him a six-month stay.

Wu had been released from prison in June under China’s national security law.

The British government has eased immigration rules for Hong Kong residents since Beijing imposed the security law in 2020.

Many Hong Kong families have close links to relatives who settled in the UK before the 1997 handover to China.

The British government estimates that 170,000 Hong Kong residents have moved to the UK since 2021 under relaxed visa rules, with a further 26,000 expected over the next five years.