Mr. Wong hopes to resettle in the United Kingdom by the end of this year, leaving behind his parents and younger sister. He is worried that people in Hong Kong will lose the freedom of speech and access to fair trials. He has seen a photo of Jimmy Lai in handcuffs and chains. Lai is the proprietor of the Apple Daily newspaper and is one of nearly 100 people arrested for possible violation of the national security law.

Lai along with four other ex-lawmakers have been found guilty of “knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly” in 2019. He was sentenced to 14 months in jail and his trial for violating the national security law has only just begun.

The national security law was gazetted on June 30, 2020 and took immediate effect. It is supposed to “prevent, suppress and impose punishment for the offences of secession, subversion, organisation and perpetration of terrorist activities''. Those who “collude with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security” risk being arrested. The maximum penalty is life in prison.

“Even organising election activities within the pro-democracy camp may be a violation. There is not much we can do now in Hong Kong, so moving to another country would be a possible way for us to continue to voice our opinion toward human rights and justice in Hong Kong,” Mr Wong said.

In 2019, Mr Wong joined a peaceful anti-government protest. He also helped organise the district council election. He has never been a high profile person. Back then he wasn’t scared of being targeted. Since then, things have changed. Chanting the slogans of the 2019 movement may be deemed seditious. He’s read about how 12 young people who tried to leave for Taiwan ended up being caught by mainland authorities. They were jailed for a few months and returned to Hong Kong to face further charges. Mr Wong is frightened.

Stephen Wong didn't discussed his resettlement plan with his parents. He heard that his mom was supportive but concernd about his resettlement to the UK and his father would prefer him to move to Sigapore rather than Europe. He rarely discusses politics with them in order to avoid family’s dispute.

“My parents have an emotional attachment to their home in the mainland. They always think that the government should control the society in order to maintain a stable situation. So, we should not complain too much about it and let the government run the society. They consider themselves patriotic Chinese,” said Mr Wong.

Willis Fu Yiu-wai, Marketing Director and Senior Immigration Consultant of Goldmax Associates said that more and more young middle class Hong Kong residents are seeking immigration consultation at his company.

Since 2019, there has been a four to five-fold increase. He said that political instability and the wishes of parents for their children to have a western education are some of the factors. Promulgation of the national security law, he added, is also making Hong Kong residents feel insecure about the city's autonomy.

“The United Kingdom, Canada, United States and Australia are the most popular countries for those who want to leave because of their education systems and high standard of living”, he added.