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UK Widespread Professional Discrimination Against HK BNO Holders: Athletes Barred from Sports Careers and Forced into Menial Jobs

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UK Widespread Professional Discrimination Against HK BNO Holders: Athletes Barred from Sports Careers and Forced into Menial Jobs
Blog

Blog

UK Widespread Professional Discrimination Against HK BNO Holders: Athletes Barred from Sports Careers and Forced into Menial Jobs

2025-02-18 17:21 Last Updated At:17:27

I wrote earlier that Hong Kong BNO holders would face challenges in the Year of the Snake, and indeed, bad news has been coming in waves. A friend recently sent me a message about representatives from several Hong Kong organizations in the UK going to Geneva file a complaint with a United Nations committee. This time, however, they weren't protesting against the Hong Kong government's “human rights violations”, but rather alleging discrimination in the UK. What infuriates them most is that Hong Kong people with BNO visas are prohibited from becoming professional athletes or full-time coaches, forcing them to switch to low-paying jobs, leaving many emotionally distressed and resentful.

Beyond the sports industry, a recent think tank study indicated that many professional qualifications held by people from Hong Kong who moved to the UK are not recognized. To enter their relevant fields, they must retake certification exams, which are costly. As a result, many have no choice but to accept lower-status, non-professional "handyman" jobs, leading to significant frustration. The UK government's priority is to protect employment for its citizens, and Hong Kong people's complaints to the UN are unlikely to have any effect.

A few years ago, when a large number of Hong Kong residents moved to the UK, many of them envisioned the UK as a "human rights paradise." However, after living there for several years, they've realized that the "equality" they imagined is far from reality. This time, when several "yellow" organizations went to Geneva to voice their grievances, Kwok Tsz-kin, founder of "Scottish Hongkongers," angrily pointed out that the current British Nationality Act "systematically discriminates" against HK BNO holders, creating barriers in employment, education, and other areas.

He specifically highlighted a clause in the BNO visa that prohibits visa holders from working as professional athletes or coaches for five years, and even restricts them from roles in sports management and refereeing. According to data, about 5,400 of the approximately 150,000 Hong Kong people residing in the UK on BNO visas are affected by this clause.

Unable to enter their fields, these Hong Kong people are forced to take other low-paying jobs. For example, Mr. Wong, who arrived in the UK in April last year with coaching qualifications in a certain sport, was prohibited from coaching due to visa restrictions and had to seek other positions. Additionally, E, a 39-year-old Hong Kong elite athlete and coach who holds Hong Kong records, is neither allowed to participate in sports competitions in the UK nor permitted to coach, leading to depression and even suicidal tendencies.

In Geneva, Kwok Tsz-kin proposed to the "UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights" that the UK government should remove this clause, allowing Hong Kong BNO holders to freely choose sports-related work and integrate into the UK sports community without discrimination. A friend familiar with the UK situation told me this is wishful thinking. The UK government has from the start viewed BNO holders as "outsiders" who cannot enjoy citizens' rights, so the possibility of removing the aforementioned clause is practically "zero." If they want to excel in sports competitions, they might as well return to Hong Kong to seek opportunities.

My friend pointed out that the discrimination against Hong Kong people’s professional qualifications extends far beyond athletes and coaches. Recently, the Financial Times interviewed a group of Hong Kong people who moved to the UK. A surveyor with experience managing large contracts arrived in the UK in mid-2023 but had no job offers after six months of searching. He had to take a temporary job sorting mail to make ends meet. After much effort, he finally secured a position as an administrative officer in a public institution, but at a much lower level than his position in Hong Kong.

A report by the British think tank "Britain's Future" published last October also interviewed a Hong Kong group of people with professional qualifications. Most couldn't find professional positions after arriving in the UK. An accountant had to work in a restaurant kitchen, an IT professional and insurance industry practitioner became warehouse worker, and a teacher took a job as a caregiver in a nursing home.

The report indicates that most people's original professional qualifications are not recognized by local organizations. They are required to retake certification exams. However, this is expensive, with some professional qualifications costing £15,000. Those who came to the UK from Hong Kong with limited savings can't afford this and have to give up.

Financial professionals also struggle to find work. The report notes that some banks' HR departments reject Hong Kong job seekers, citing "lack of UK experience." Some have no choice but to reluctantly seek other "non-professional" positions.

Under this "systemic discrimination," Hong Kong people who moved to the UK find themselves in dire straits, not only with significantly reduced incomes but also, most unbearably, with a sense of "humiliation." The UK has always been a class-conscious society, with discriminatory attitudes deeply embedded. It's just that they were initially too simple and naive, blinded by passion, choosing not to see it.

Lai Ting Yiu




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** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Donald Trump's tariff war has been marked by erratic flip-flopping, chaotic policy-making, and implementation full of loopholes and oversights—difficult to imagine as the work of a professional White House team. This raises the question: who are the core decision-makers behind this mess? An academic friend told me that Trump's "chief strategist" for tariff policies, Peter Navarro, despite holding a Harvard doctorate, is academically incompetent and has fabricated content in his publications. Worse still, he has used biased and incorrect reasoning to malign China, influencing Trump to adopt aggressive measures against Beijing.

As for the other key player, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who comes from financial circles and is despised on Wall Street for his unscrupulous money-making tactics. The two  could be called the "Evil Duo" of Trump's core team. Lutnick's relationship with Trump solidified over three years ago when he helped Trump raise funds for his social media platform and cryptocurrency business, earning Trump's appreciation. This eventually led to his appointment as Commerce Secretary and the vanguard of this trade war. Looking at these two individuals' "stories" helps explain why the current tariff policies are so disastrous.

During recent internal conflicts within Trump's team, his "favorite" Elon Musk suddenly attacked Navarro, calling him "truly a moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks." While Musk didn't explicitly call for Trump to fire Navarro, the implication was clear. However, these harsh attacks failed to undermine Navarro's position in the team, as his "loyalty" and extreme views on China continue to be highly valued by Trump.

Although Navarro holds a Harvard doctorate in economics and has published several books, his academic standing is extremely low. One economics professor pointed out that Navarro's understanding of trade deficits is based on errors "that even a first-year high school student wouldn't make." More controversially, he repeatedly cited views from an economist named Ron Vara in his books, only for it to be revealed later that this scholar was entirely fictional—a fabrication. When confronted, he could only sheepishly explain that it was merely a pen name.

Despite his academic inadequacies, Navarro's radical demonization of China in his writings caught Trump's attention. His 2016 book "Death by China," for instance, consistently exaggerates China's harm to the United States, later systematizing these claims into "Seven Deadly Sins." Trump described Navarro as a "visionary" economist who would "develop trade policies that shrink our trade deficit, expand our growth, and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores" and subsequently invited Navarro to join his campaign team as a policy advisor.

After Trump first entered the White House, Navarro rose to prominence, becoming Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. The following year, he published six strategies targeting "China's damage to US economy and national security," which can be seen as the prototype for the current tariff policies against China.

Beyond his extreme views on China, Navarro's greatest asset in gaining Trump's favor is his "unwavering loyalty." After Trump's 2020 election defeat, Navarro vocally contested the results, publishing hateful rhetoric that helped incite the far-right Capitol riot. When summoned to testify before Congress, he refused to appear and was ultimately convicted of contempt of Congress, serving four months in prison.

His willingness to go to jail like a "martyr" became political capital for advancement. When Trump returned to power, he naturally rewarded Navarro, inviting him back and entrusting him with planning the tariff war, making him a star in the core team. However, Navarro remains academically deficient, excessively radical on China, and has a history of "deception." Unsurprisingly, his policies are full of loopholes, not only disrupting the global trade order but also causing American businesses to cry out in pain—no wonder Musk is so furious with him.

The other member of the "Evil Duo" is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. This man has long operated in Wall Street with a poor reputation. Having previously helped Trump raise funds for social media and cryptocurrency ventures, he earned Trump's favor and was unexpectedly elevated to the important position of Commerce Secretary, becoming the vanguard of this tariff war. As the tariff policy has thrown Wall Street into chaos, he has incurred widespread anger, with calls for his resignation growing louder by the day.

Lutnick was a managing director at investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald and has recently been heavily involved in cryptocurrency trading—precisely the area that interests the Trump family most. Their shared business interests have strengthened their relationship. Based on their long-term "two-in-one" business investment relationship and shared ideology, Trump appointed him to an important position immediately upon returning to power, with little regard for his actual abilities or experience.

In fact, his reputation on Wall Street has consistently been poor. Some who have worked with him claim he often used company resources for personal trades at the expense of investors' interests and ruthlessly exploited employees, earning widespread resentment. This led to his nickname: "Wall Street's Most Despised Person."

That such a deeply flawed character now controls the trade war, affecting global trade and the economic livelihoods of many countries (including America itself), is truly chilling.

Lai Ting Yiu

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