We assessed how the high-skilled migrants’ statuses in Mainland China and Hong Kong and the discrepancies between the two statuses are related to their well-being outcomes. We used respondent-driven sampling method and obtained an analytical sample of 2,864 participants. The majority of the high-skilled migrants perceived higher status in Mainland China than in Hong Kong which is more consequential for their health and well-being. Compared to those who perceived similar statuses in the two locations, migrants who perceived different statuses tended to report lower levels of psychological well-being, providing evidence to the detrimental effects of status inconsistency.

By examining negative sentiment toward recent migrants among local residents in Hong Kong, this study fills a research gap in understanding group relations between migrants and local residents in post-colonial societies. We suggest that negative sentiments toward recent migrants among local residents in Hong Kong are the result of the society's post-colonial development, which has fostered a local identity and defined a group boundary between residents born in Hong Kong and migrants from the mainland. Linking post-colonial literature with literature on group boundaries, group threats, and scapegoating, we developed four hypotheses to explain the negative sentiments of local residents toward Chinese migrants. Using findings from data collected in 2014, we show that having close friends from mainland China, having higher income, and level of job satisfaction are all related to the level of negative sentiment toward mainland migrants in Hong Kong. Implications of the findings are discussed.