The United Kingdom is issuing the largest number of special travel documents to Hong Kong residents since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, according to news from London. Some 216,398 Hong Kong residents were issued British National (Overseas) Passports (BNOs) in the first ten months of this year, according to publicly available information disclosed by the U.K. Government Passport Office.
Some 216,398 Hong Kong residents were issued British National (Overseas) passports (BNOs) in the first 10 months of this year, higher than in any year since 1997, according to the U.K. Government Passport Office, Bloomberg reported Dec. 4, citing disclosures under the U.K. Freedom of Information Act. In October alone, the department issued BNOs to 59,798 Hong Kongers, a 52 percent increase over the same period last year. This is the highest monthly figure for the British government’s passport office since it began compiling BNOs at any time in 2015. Based on an average working day of eight hours, this equates to more than five BNOs being issued every minute.
These figures include BNO renewals, which provide an update on the current status of departures facing Hong Kong, according to the report. The authorities’ tough response to the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law earlier this year and the anti-amendment campaign that erupted last year has raised concerns about Hong Kong’s diminished freedom as an Asian financial center. In July, the number of monthly applications began to soar as the British government upgraded the legal status of BNO passport holders, who can now stay in the U.K. for five years and apply for citizenship after a further year of residence.
“The British side has reneged on its promises and is bent on repeatedly speculating and exploiting the issue of (overseas) passports for British nationals,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference on Friday, adding, “If the U.K. violates its commitments in the first place, China will consider not recognizing British nationals’ overseas passports as valid travel documents, and we also reserve the right to take further measures.”
Meanwhile, real estate agents in London have seen a surge in interest in Hong Kong residents moving in, with some agents seeing an almost 80 percent increase in inquiries this year. According to a British government study, an estimated 2.9 million Hong Kongers are eligible for BNOs, and as many as 2.3 million have dependents. Of those eligible, the UK estimates that up to 322,000 people will move to the country between 2021 and 2025.
Recent Comments