Jessie So has been a journalist for 15 years. During 2019, she was one of the journalists at the frontline reporting on the protests in Hong Kong.

This year, with a large number of Hong Kongers planning to move to the UK due to the implementation of the National Security Law and the announcement of the BNO Visas, she turned her focus to documenting the stories of those who moved. She started talking to many about immigration.

She shares with Kong Girl some of the most memorable stories she saw and heard.

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港女 Kong Girl: We have both spoken to many Hong Kongers who started moving to the UK since July. I find all the people I interviewed to be very brave, especially those who come on LOTR (leave outside the rules), either on their own or with a family or even with their parents.

Jessie: But at the same time there are unfortunately some who did not manage to do any preparation.

I remember meeting one person who came here a few months ago. He’s never been in the UK but was rushing to leave Hong Kong. He picked Manchester based on recommendations from friends and didn’t know anything about the city. He bought his flight ticket, landed in Manchester but did not know where to go after he left the airport. He didn’t even have a working local sim card but luckily found a hotel. If he had prepared better, everything would have been easier for him.

I also recall hearing about a family of five who came recently. They didn’t know about LOTR and entered as visitors. Now, the parents are unable to work, and the three kids cannot go to school.

港女 Kong Girl: I hope they are informed about the options to apply for LOTR from the UK. There are many channels out there talking about moving to the UK, including your own Facebook page, although it is true not all the information is correct.

Jessie: You can’t know everything but doing research before moving countries is really important.

港女 Kong Girl: Once people have got a roof over their head, the next big thing is finding a job. With the unemployment rate so high in the UK, I have seen so many Hong Kongers having to start from the bottom, which can be a hard pill to swallow.

Jessie: I know one person who is now working as a caregiver, which is a demanding job though not needing much qualification. The role requires helping the person in need with bathing, grooming, dressing and toileting. It is a stressful job, and this person earns £9/hr, just a little higher than the minimum wage in the UK.

But I also know of a relatively successful case of someone starting from the bottom. This person moved to the UK last year and worked in a warehouse. After a year and a half, he got promoted. His salary went from £9/hr to just around HK$40,000/month now. Being hardworking sometimes does get us places.

港女 Kong Girl: Writing about immigration must be so different from reporting from the frontline of the protests in Hong Kong last year.

Jessie: Having covered breaking news for 15 years, last year was the hardest for me as a journalist. But I also saw the best of humanity on the streets.

It was one of the earlier protests in 2019 in Hong Kong, when the police fired the first tear gas of the year right in front of me. I didn’t expect the tear gas and I was unprepared. It hurt so much I thought I was going to be blind.

I couldn’t see anything but I heard a few girls lifting me up. They were prepared and helped me rinse my eyes. When I could finally see, they were gone.

港女 Kong Girl: So you didn’t manage to thank the people who washed tear gas out of your eyes?

Jessie: I didn’t get to say thanks in person. I want to take this opportunity here though, in case they are reading. Thank you – I genuinely think I could’ve been visually impaired if it wasn’t for you.

Deep down, I hope to see more of that helping spirit now among Hong Kongers.

Maybe we can use a bit more compassion for this current crisis – when many are so fearful of their lives and have to move promptly.