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09 Jun UK will offer ‘route to citizenship’ for Hong Kong nationals

Posted on June 9, 2020 in Investing in the UK by
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The UK Government has announced that it will offer the right to live and work in the UK to nearly 3 million Hong Kong citizens eligible for a British National Overseas (BNO) passport if China were to impose the new security laws.

Hong Kong has about 350,000 residents holding a BNO passport whilst another 2.5 million are eligible. Currently, a BNO passport holder can visit the UK for up to 6 months without applying for a Standard Visitor visa. However, BNO status does not include the right of abode or work in the UK. Therefore, BNO holders do not have any automatic right to live or work in the UK, and are subject to immigration controls like all other non-EU citizens.

On 3 June 2020, the PM wrote an article for the Times stating:

‘If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship.’

However, the announcement clearly lacks a degree of clarity and details. Further, it is important to note that there are a variety of requirements and charges on the path to citizenship, including thousands of pounds in application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).

Finally, not everybody will be able to take advantage of this policy, for instance the right to a BNO passport cannot be pass onto children and a Hong Kong national born after 1997 will not be eligible for an BNO passport.

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The content of this article is for general use and information only. Since each case should be prepared on its own merit and in light of the constant amendments to the Immigration Rules, it is important to note that the information provided must not be relied upon unless Migra & Co has either given written consent or has been officially engaged in relation to a specific immigration matter. As a result, Migra & Co will take no responsibility for any damage, cost or loss resulting from relying on the information contained in this article, blog and website.