Free Movement

The excellent Freedom of Movement blog is publishing great explainers on this. https://www.freemovement.org.uk/bno-visa-hong-kong-dominic-r... tldr; It applies to Hong Kongers who applied for British National (Overseas) Citizenship (BNO) before registration closed in 1997, and it can not be inherited. Many of the young HK protestors will therefore be ineligible for it. BNO is an obscure post-Colonial status applicable to Hong Kongers which did not up till now grant long term residence to the UK. BNOs who now want to take up the government's offer for long term residence in the UK will have to fork a significant up front fee. This makes it available only to wealthy BNOs. If the government wanted to they could have changed the law to allow them to skip much of this, but they haven't.

The UK introduced laws last year that are also on the theme of gender discrimination and righting the consequence of deprivation of rights in previous generations [0]. It was only about 5 years ago that rights afforded by matrilineal descent were brought in line with patrilineal descent. [0] https://freemovement.org.uk/claiming-british-citizenship-through-an-gr…

I think this is referred to as the Surinder Singh principle, here's more about it: https://www.freemovement.org.uk/surinder-singh-immigration-route/

But both the employer and employee are tax payers! There's nothing uniquely expensive about taxpaying employees that happen to be born overseas. I'm guessing the prepaid contribution refers to the "NHS surcharge": https://www.freemovement.org.uk/what-is-the-immigration-health-surchar… (while Americans are probably going "hey that looks cheap at £624 a year compared to my insurance", note that it's not insurance and you still have to pay it if you have private cover)

> student without private health insurance(which was only added as a requirement after I started my studies) As I understand it, that was always a requirement due to the wording of the treaties (or regulations / directives). It is just that UK government hadn't previously highlighted that they viewed NHS entitlement as not counting as "medical insurance". There is supposed to be an ongoing dispute with the Commission over this point. See here and links from it: https://www.freemovement.org.uk/comprehensive-sickness-insurance-what-…

Here is an actual barrister's opinion of the situation, and it isn't pretty! https://www.freemovement.org.uk/briefing-legal-status-eu-citizens-uk/

The work round is to spend 3 months in the EU and then return under EU rules and not UK. The case was Surinder Singh but there are subsequent rulings - https://www.freemovement.org.uk/surinder-singh-immigration-route/ You'll still be rejected out of hand and forced to resort to legal action however. You're right that the UK has targeted non-EU spouses and is intentionally obstructive, arbitrary and perverse in their dealings, all for the political ends you describe.

Not really. Availability of work seems to be a motivator, as well as familiarity and image. "Why do the “migrants” in Calais want to come to the UK? This being the real world, there is no easy answer to the question “why?” Work, friends, family, language, historical links to the UK and, ironically, the UK’s reputation for fairness, tolerance and welcome all play their role." https://www.freemovement.org.uk/why-do-the-migrants-in-calais-want-to-…