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As protests in Hong Kong intensified this summer, Bernard Wolfsdorf, a Los Angeles immigration lawyer, anticipated “a new wave of immigration” to the U.S. So he travelled to China and met with regional immigration advisers.

They told him not to get excited.

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“What I heard is, while many are leaving Hong Kong, the U.S. isn’t the number one destination,” Wolfsdorf said. “The U.S. is simply not seen as the most desirable option presently.”

When things go sideways around the globe, the U.S. has traditionally served as an island of safety and security, particularly for the world’s wealthy. The U.S. is already home to more Hong Kongers than any country outside of mainland China, and recent data suggests more are looking to leave. Applications for a key emigration document, the “good citizenship card,” are up 54 per cent in the past year, according to official data.

But anti-immigrant political rhetoric, high-profile incidences of gun violence and impending changes to the “investor visa” program have encouraged Hong Kong’s would-be emigres to consider alternatives such as Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Taiwan.