Hong Kong people holding BNO passports in the UK in June 2020
The British government announced on January 29 that the BNO visa route for Hong Kong residents would be officially opened on January 31, and the British Prime Minister said he was proud of this, while the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was again spurred on by its decision to no longer recognize the BNO passport.
The BNO is a British National (Overseas) Passport (BNO). Hong Kong people with BNO passports and their close relatives’ dependants are eligible to apply for this new visa, and those who get it will enjoy the right to stay, go to school and work in the UK, and after five years they can apply for permanent resident status, and after 12 months of obtaining settled status they can apply for British citizenship.
On Friday (Jan. 29), Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauded the visa program, saying the U.K. has honored its historical and moral commitment to its former colonial people.
“I am very proud that we are offering BNO status holders a new path to live, work and settle.” Johnson said it was a practice of “the deep historical ties and friendship between Britain and the people of Hong Kong, and the defence of freedom and the rule of law that Britain and Hong Kong hold equally dear.”
For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed on Friday that Britain had engaged in what it called “interference in internal affairs” and said that since Jan. 31, BNO passport holders could not use the passports as travel documents or proof of identity in China.
The Wall Street Journal commented that the fact that the Chinese Communist Party’s “non-recognition” does not have much substance and will have limited impact on holders of BNO passports, as Hong Kong people who travel to the mainland with a Hong Kong identity card and a “Home Visit Permit” issued by the Chinese Communist Party authorities ( The BNO passport will have limited impact on holders of BNO passports, as Hong Kong residents who travel to the mainland can simply hold a Hong Kong ID card and a “Home Visit Permit” issued by the Chinese Communist authorities (i.e., “Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau Residents”).
According to the British government, from Jan. 31, NBO-eligible Hong Kong applicants can apply online, after which they will need to make an appointment to visit a visa application center. From February 23, BNO eligibility holders who have a specific passport with biometric features attached to their eligibility can complete the application from home via a mobile application.
There are currently 2.9 million Hong Kong citizens eligible to apply for BNO visas, and their dependents are expected to number 2.3 million. The Guardian reports that the Home Office estimates that between 123,000 and 153,700 Hong Kong people and their dependents will apply for the new visas in the first year and 322,400 over the next five years, with the scheme expected to generate between £2.4 billion and £2.9 billion for the UK by 2025.
After Beijing imposed the controversial National Security Law in Hong Kong last year, prompting widespread international condemnation and repeated claims that the Sino-British Joint Declaration was an “outdated historical document,” the U.K. announced its BNO plan in July to provide a political safe haven for some Hong Kong people.
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