The British government announced in July this year that Hong Kong people with British National (Overseas) Passports (BNO) and their close relatives can apply for special visas from January next year, and can stay in the UK for up to five years, and can apply for citizenship after settling for another year. Citing leaked government documents, the UK’s Daily Telegraph said the number of BNO applicants has surged since June this year, and the number of BNO holders is expected to exceed 730,000 by the end of this year.
Citing internal documents, the newspaper pointed out that until February this year, there were about 350,000 BNO holders, and as of August this year, the number of BNO holders has increased to 400,000, and there are more than 200,000 applications waiting to be processed. The U.K. Home Office expects that the number of BNO holders will reach 733,000 by the end of this year, a 110% surge from February. In addition, the British Foreign Office expects that 200,000 people will emigrate from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom.
A British government spokesman was quoted as saying, “To fulfill our moral and historical commitment to Hong Kong’s BNO citizens, we will be tailoring the path to full British citizenship, which can be applied for without the need for a BNO passport.”
It is understood that the British government previously announced that it would allow Hong Kong people to apply for “Leave Outside The Rules” (LOTR) when entering the United Kingdom before January next year, to obtain a six-month period of residence in order to work and study. Nigel Adams, Minister of State for Asian Affairs at the British Foreign Office, said in the House of Commons of the British Parliament this month that from July to mid-October this year, 2,116 Hong Kong BNO holders and their close relatives, partners and children under the age of 18 have been granted LOTR status.
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