Citizens in transit: diasporic citizenship of Hongkongers living as British national overseas migrants in the United Kingdom

Research on diasporic citizenship focused on how migrants engage in transnational activism in their home and host countries. However, this research has overlooked the critical question of how migrants develop their practices of diasporic citizenship, particularly during the early stages of resettlement. This article addresses this gap by examining the citizenship practices of Hong Kong BN(O) migrants in the U.K, and argues that their past experiences in homeland and the political opportunity structures are key factors shaping their diasporic citizenship. Drawing on focus groups, we demonstrate that these migrants, despite paying attention to homeland affairs, have refrained from collective mobilization due to low political efficacy and fear of transnational repression. However, rather than becoming politically inactive, they have adopted individualized strategies to transplant their civic aspirations from their homeland. These include building a distinct Hongkonger identity, branding themselves as ‘good’ immigrants, and exercising their voting rights. Our findings provide nuanced understanding of the formative stage of migrants’ sense of diasporic citizenship.