As China cracks down on democracy in Hong Kong by imposing draconian laws, as per a report on dailymail, China is now sending its spies to the United Kingdom to take advantage of the new visa scheme designed to help residents who are escaping the Communist regime.
More than 34,000 applications have been received for the British National (Overseas), or BNO, visa since it was introduced in January, and among the thousands of applicants, China is trying to send sleeper agents and place informers and people who will steal security secrets in open societies.
However, there are stringent background checks for the applications and the vetting process for the BNO visa scheme is more thorough than any other.’
Lord Patten, who was the last governor of Hong Kong, told the paper, “We are dealing with a totalitarian state which uses informers,”.
Reacting to the crackdown on democratic protesters, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said, “We will not look the other way on Hong Kong, and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people,”.
Successful applicants from Hong Kong will be able to stay in the UK for up to five years, and after that period will be able to settle in the UK indefinitely. The UK government has also lowered the new visa application to £250 for five years, but migrants will have to pay the NHS immigration health surcharge which costs £400 per person per year, or £300 a year for students.
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