The number of Hongkongers who sought political asylum in the United Kingdom has reached a record high this year, with applications in the third quarter alone already exceeding the total number of applicants in 2019.

There were 44 Hongkongers who applied for asylum in Britain in the first three quarters of 2020, more than tripling the number of applications from the 13 cases in 2019, according to data released by the U.K. Home Office on Tuesday.

Half of the applicants were under 30, while the number of Hongkongers who requested to be naturalized in the country also increased from 319 in 2018 to 424 over the first three quarters, statistics showed.

The surge has coincided with Beijing’s introduction of the national security law in late June, which attempted to illegalize the city’s dissenting voices. To date, about 30 activists have been arrested under the legislation, including Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and pro-democracy protester Tam Tak-chi.

The Home Office has maintained annual asylum data since 2001. With only sporadic cases from Hong Kong citizens before 2019 — eight cases in 2018 and 13 in 2019 — this year saw a sudden surge in the number of applicants from the city.

In the first and second quarters, three and seven people applied for asylum respectively, while the number soared to 34 in the third quarter.

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