News Release: Hongkongers are settling well in the UK 新聞稿：新到埗香港人順利適應英國生活

依士靈頓華人協會今日(10月7日)發表一項先導研究報告，訪問一批離開香港在英國開始新生活的家庭，發現他們總體上已經很好地適應了英國的新家。

英國政府於2020年7月宣布為香港的英國國民（海外）（BN(O)）簽證持有人提供新的移民計劃，自2021年1月31日計劃開始接受申請至2022年3月底，共有123,400份申請。 

依士靈頓華人協會創辦人謝錦霞女士表示：「過去兩年，越來越多的香港人來我們中心尋找資訊和服務。許多是帶著小孩的家庭。新一波的移民潮與過去幾代來自香港的新移民不同，我們希望深入了解他們的需要，以便計劃和提供適當的服務。」

她續說：「我們喜見參與研究的受訪家庭已經很好地適應了英國的生活。超過七成的受訪家長或他們的配偶已在英國找到工作。他們的孩子在學校表現良好，對學習有興趣。研究發現適應得最好的受訪者有三方面優勢，就是具備良好的資訊科技技能、積極主動，並建立良好的社交網路。  

研究團隊採用質性研究的方法，於2022年3月和4月採訪了11名家長，當中大多是母親。他們在2020年9月至2021年12月期間抵達英國，住在倫敦、金士頓(Kingston)、薩頓(Sutton)、吉爾福德(Guildford)、沃金(Woking)和劍橋。他們的孩子年齡由1.5至22歲不等，多數在6至12歲之間。父母來自中產階級背景，大多受過良好教育，有積蓄。

抵埗三件事：找學校、找居所、找工作

被訪者只有不到一年時間準備離開香港。他們主要關心的是為子女找學校，找地方住和找工作。他們極度依賴臉書和通訊群組(如Whatsapp)等社交媒體作為主要的資訊來源。 

大多數人表示，他們的子女在學業和社交方面都很好地融入了新學校。很多家長過去在香港為孩子編排非常緊湊的學習和活動，新的環境與前大為不同，一些父母感到更加輕鬆，開始探索其他育兒方式。

麗是一位資深社會工作者，專門從事家庭和兒童工作，自2022年2月以來一直領導此先導研究計劃。她說：「受訪父母很努力協助孩子適應新環境，以減少他們離開香港家人和朋友的失落感。他們為孩子學習製作他們喜歡的香港食物，鼓勵他們參加興趣班，建立新的愛好。」

她續說：「在學校結交新朋友對孩子融入本地社區固然重要，與香港的朋友和家人保持連繫也對他們的心理健康有益處。」

家長一致心願：保存香港人身份

有一點所有受訪者都認為十分重要，就是保存香港人的獨特身份。他們覺得香港人有其獨特的政治歷史、文化特質和習俗，與其他中國社群不同。 

家長希望子女繼續學習繁體中文和講粵語，但發現很困難，因為英國多數學校教授中國大陸使用的簡體中文和普通話。他們希望本地圖書館可以提供繁體中文書籍和其他媒體的學習資源。一位家長甚至建議應該研究設立以繁體中文和粵語作為第二語言的課程。除了語言，一些家長表示需要保留香港人對性、婚姻和尊重長輩的傳統價值觀。

容易忽略的挑戰：擇居地的就業機會

研究揭示了一些家庭到埗後幾個月所遇到的挑戰，或會為一些父母所忽略。其中之一是找居所和獲編配學額之間的時間差，許多父母在六、七月抵埗時方發現學校在暑假期間不處理入學申請。

一些受訪者在到達之前就已經覓得工作，其他人則仍在揾工，不過他們均持樂觀態度，相信倫敦比其他城市有更多就業機會。也有受訪者指出，許多家長太過注重比較不同城市的生活成本，沒注意到就業機會的差異，建議應該搜尋更多關於不同城市就業機會的資訊，仔細考慮他們的技能是否與當地就業市場的空缺相配。 

獨自來英的家長

不少家長獨自與子女來英，配偶留在香港，他們獨自承擔所有工作，從建立新家，照顧孩子到找工作，在適應新環境時面對更多的挑戰和壓力。

麗想提醒家長關注自己的健康。她說：「很多家長把子女放在首位，然而孩子的安全感亦建基於家庭安全感上，父母的心理健康尤為重要。移民最初的適應期過後，不同階段會有各種新的適應挑戰，適當的支持和服務有助家長應對壓力，對他們的家庭亦起著保護作用。 

研究團隊三名研究員來自社會工作和心理學專業背景，並得到多位專業人士義務協助轉錄工作，他們大多數也是最近移居英國的香港人。

麗表示：「我們的共同目標是研究已定居英國的家庭的適應需要，把有關經驗分析整理，與為香港人提供服務的機構、義工組織和人士分享，以讓他們能夠更好地為未來移英的香港提供有效、針對性的支援，無論是在他們離開香港之前，還是在抵達英國之後。“

「希望未來的研究能關注那些在定居英國面對更多困難的香港人，例如單身人士、其他家庭成員（父親、子女、祖父母）、倫敦以外的居民，以及那些在來到英國之前資源和人際網較少的人。

依士靈頓華人協會（ICA）今年慶祝成立35年，是一個致力推動共融的社區組織，歷年來不斷幫助華人，尤其是香港移民，因應不同時代的社群需要，開拓各種新服務，幫助新移民獲得所需的技能及資源，以安居樂業，並與社區建立密切的聯繫。ICA是47間獲得地方發展、房屋及社區部撥款幫助 BN(O) 香港人在英國定居生活的機構之一，於2022年2月展開歡迎香港人項目，提供多元化的聯誼活動、興趣班、健康和各式課程，最近再獲得第二年資助，繼續支援香港人在身心健康、求職就業、社會融合、社區安全、文化交流及提高語言技能各方面的需要。有關ICA歡迎香港人計劃的最新消息，請瀏覽以下網頁：
https://islingtonchinese.com/
https://www.welcomehongkongers.com/

研究報告(只有英文版本)：
A pilot study on the adjustment needs of families with children migrating from Hong Kong to the U.K.

A new pilot study commissioned by Islington Chinese Association has shown that families that have left Hong Kong to start a new life in the UK have, on the whole, adapted well to their new home.

Since the British government announced a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN)) visa holders of Hong Kong in July 2020 and the Scheme opened on 31 January 2021, there has been a total of 123,400 applications by the end of March 2022. 

Founder of Islington Chinese Association Lady Katy Blair said, “In the last 2 years, we received an increasing number of people from Hong Kong coming to our Centre looking for information and services. Many are families with young children. This new wave of migrants are not the same as the past generations of new settlers from Hong Kong. We wish to gain an in-depth understanding of their needs so that appropriate services can be planned and provided.” 

She continued, “We are pleased to find that those interviewed for this pilot study have adjusted well to life in the UK. Over 70% of them or their spouse got a job in the UK. Their children were doing well at school and showing interest in learning. Those who adapted best, reported that having good digital and information skills, being proactive, and building good social networks had served them in good stead.”  

The study has adopted a qualitative approach and interviewed 11 parents in March and April 2022. Most of them are mothers. They arrived in the UK between September 2020 and December 2021. At the time of interview, they were living in London, Kingston, Sutton, Guildford, Woking and Cambridge. Their children were aged from 1.5 to 22, with the majority between 6 and 12 years old. The parents come from middle class backgrounds, and are mainly well-educated and have savings.

3 necessities of new arrivals: a school place, a home and a job

Most of the interviewees spent less than a year making preparations to leave Hong Kong. Their main concerns were schooling for their children, finding a place to live and getting a job. They heavily relied on social media such as facebook and whatsapp groups as the chief source of information. 

Most reported that their children had fitted into their new schools well, both academically and socially. In Hong Kong, parents had provided a very packed schedule of learning activities for their children. The new environment was very different to what they and their children were used to, so some parents felt more relaxed and started to explore alternative ways of parenting.  

Lai, a veteran social worker specialises in working with families and children, has been leading this project since February 2022. She said, “The parents we interviewed are working hard to help their children adapt to the new environment and reduce their sense of loss at leaving their family members and friends in Hong Kong. They learn to make food and drinks their children had enjoyed in Hong Kong, and encourage them to build new hobbies and join interest classes,” 

She continued, “While making new friends at school has been important to their children’s integration into the local community, the kids have also been able to stay in touch online with their old friends and family members in HK. This has been found to be beneficial to their mental health.”

One thing in common: Preserving the identity as Hongkongers

One thing close to the hearts of all interviewees is the importance of maintaining their unique identity as Hongkongers. They felt they differed from other Chinese groups because Hong Kong has its unique political history and distinctive cultural traits and customs. 

Parents would like their children to continue learning Traditional Chinese and practising speaking Cantonese but they find it difficult as most local schools in the UK teach the Chinese language used in Mainland China. There is a need for local libraries to stock books and other teaching media in Traditional Chinese. One parent suggested that Teaching Traditional Chinese and Cantonese as a second language should be explored. Apart from languages, some parents expressed the need to preserve traditional values of Hongkongers towards sex, marriage, and respecting elders in the family.”

Easily overlooked issues: Job opportunities and talents match in different cities

The study has revealed some challenges faced by some families in the first few months after arrival which some parents may overlook. One of them is the time gap between finding a place to live and being offered a school place. Many parents who landed in June or July found that local schools were unable to handle applications during summer break.

Some interviewees already had a job lined up before they arrived. Others were job hunting, and optimistic about their chances of gaining employment, and believed that London would provide more employment opportunities than other cities. Some pointed out that many parents were too cautious about the cost of living in different cities and failed to notice the differences in job opportunities. Some advised that parents should gather more information about the job opportunities in different cities and consider carefully if their talents are matching the openings in the local job market.

Challenges facing by parents who come alone

There are some parents whose spouse is not coming to the UK. They shoulder all responsibilities alone, from setting up a new home, taking care of their children to looking for a job. They face more challenges and pressures adapting to the new environment.

Lai would like to remind parents of the importance of their own wellbeing. She said, “Children are these families’ top priority. Their sense of security is built upon family security, especially the mental health of their parents. New adaptation needs will emerge after the initial period of adjustment. Support services could be planned to help parents cope with stress and build up protective factors for their families.” 

The study was led by a research of three members with professional backgrounds in social work and psychology and supported by voluntary transcribers. Most of them are also Hongkongers recently moved to the UK.

Lai said, “Our common goal is to study the adjustment needs of families who have already settled in the UK, learn from their experience, share it with service providers, voluntary groups and others so that they will be better able to offer effective, targeted assistance to future incomers from Hong Kong, both before they leave Hong Kong and after they arrive in the UK,”

“It’s hoped that future research will focus on those who have had more difficulties with settling in the UK; single people; other family members (fathers, children, grandparents); residents outside London; and people with fewer resources/contacts before they came to the UK.”

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Islington Chinese Association (ICA) is an inclusive community organisation and has a long history of supporting people of Chinese heritage, in particular those originated from Hong Kong, and initiating much-needed services to help newcomers acquire the skills and resources for effective settlement and building strong community cohesion. ICA was one of the 47 organisations being allocated government funding by The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to help BN(O) Hong Kongers settle into life in the UK. Its Welcome Hongkongers Programme commenced in February 2022 and delivered a wide variety of social gathering events, interest classes, wellbeing and educational courses. ICA was awarded an extended grant to continue its work plan along the same themes of support for Hong Kongers in health/wellbeing, employability, social integration, community safety, cultural exchange and improving language skills.

Latest news of welcome Hongkongers programme is available at:
https://islingtonchinese.com/
https://www.welcomehongkongers.com/