Phyllis Lam has lived in Hong Kong for 42 years. It’s where she was born, went to school, met her husband and planned to raise her two children.
But like a growing number of Hong Kong residents disillusioned by China’s tightening grip on the city, Lam now feels she has little choice but to leave. "I have no confidence in Hong Kong’s future,” she said in an interview. "I have two young kids, so I have to plan for them.”
For many in Hong Kong who’ve long feared an erosion of their freedoms under Chinese rule, last week marked a tipping point. Spurred to action by Beijing’s decision to impose controversial national security legislation on the former British colony, residents have been flooding migration consultants with questions on how to move their families overseas.