Refugees in Hong Kong face ‘worst-case scenario’ after US, Canada policy shifts

Refugees living in Hong Kong are facing a “worst-case scenario” following US President Donald Trump’s decision to pause the country’s resettlement programme, just two months after Canada tightened its own rules, an advocate for asylum seekers’ rights has said.

Amid a slew of executive orders signed by Trump on his first day in office last week was a 90-day pause on the country’s Refugee Admissions Programme that took effect on Monday.

The news sent shock waves through the city’s refugee community, many of whom had been waiting for more than 10 years to finally be resettled abroad. Hong Kong does not grant asylum, but ensures individuals are not sent back to their home countries if they seek help for being in danger until their claims are substantiated.

Jeffrey Andrews, a senior social worker with the Christian Action Centre for Refugees, said that as soon as the order was announced his team began seeing clients come in panicked and distressed, some of whom were meant to fly out as early as this week.

The community had already been facing uncertainties after Canada tightened its rules for its private sponsorship of refugees programme last November, Andrews said.

The move paused all sponsorship applications for groups of five or more people until the end of the year, with Canadian authorities citing a backlog of cases.