According to an announcement by the British government, holders of British National (Overseas) passports, or BNO passports, in Hong Kong are subject to the BNO passport visa policy starting today, January 31st. This is seen as a way for the UK to offer a way out to Hong Kong people who want to escape China’s repression after the passage of the BNO. The Hong Kong government will also no longer recognize British National (Overseas) passports (BNO passports) as travel documents and proof of identity from today.
Under the British decision, Hong Kong people with specific BNO passports that qualify with biometric features and their next of kin can apply for this visa through a mobile App to settle in the UK and later apply for British citizenship.
Before June last year, BNO passport holders could only stay in the UK for six months without a visa, but without the right to stay and work. However, after the implementation of the National Security Act in Hong Kong at the end of June last year, the UK introduced a new BNO visa policy. Under the policy, those who successfully apply for a BNO visa can apply for permanent resident status after living in the UK for five years, and can apply for British citizenship after 12 months of obtaining settled status.
One of the requirements for obtaining the new visa is to be able to prove that they have enough money to live for at least six months.
Any Hong Kong resident born before 1997 is eligible to apply for BNO status. The UK’s new BNO visa rules thus pave the way for some 2.9 million Hong Kong citizens and their approximately 2.3 million immediate Family members to immigrate to the UK. The UK accuses the Chinese Communist Party of failing to honor its pledge, made before the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, to maintain freedom and autonomy in Hong Kong for at least half a century. London has offered a moral obligation to help its former colony.
In a statement released Friday through the Home Office, Prime Minister Johnson said the new initiative will give BNO passport holders a new way to live, work and settle in Britain. And by doing so, it fulfills the deep historical ties and friendship between the British and Hong Kong people and upholds the freedom and autonomy that both Britain and Hong Kong hold equally dear.
Any Hong Kong resident born before 1997 will be eligible to apply for BNO status. As a result, the UK’s new BNO visa rules pave the way for some 2.9 million Hong Kong citizens and their approximately 2.3 million immediate family members to immigrate to the UK. Hong Kong has a total of about 7.5 million residents. The British side had estimated that as many as 322,400 Hong Kong people might leave the territory through this policy.
The Hong Kong government will no longer recognize British National (Overseas) passports (BNO passports) as travel documents and proof of identity from Sunday (Jan. 31), and said people can apply for SAR passports or identity cards to enter and leave the country. The media obtained an email from Cathay Pacific to ground staff showing that people can use BNO for check-in, but at the same Time asked ground staff to remind people that they cannot use BNO to enter or leave the country. Instead, passengers boarding from overseas to return to Hong Kong will need to present their SAR passport or ID card. It is up to the public to determine whether the destination, or the country or region of transit can accommodate BNO as a valid travel document.
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