The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hong Kong SAR government have announced that they do not recognize BNOs as valid travel documents and proof of identity, and have asked countries to follow the practice. Recently, the Pakistani consulate in Hong Kong has made a move to raise the threshold of visa requirements for BNOs. British National (Overseas) Passport (BNO) is a passport issued by the United Kingdom to Hong Kong residents before the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong. The British government gave BNOs to Hong Kong residents and their families to stay, work and study in the UK, and eventually register as naturalized British citizens. Many countries in Europe and the United States then unanimously continued to recognize as valid travel documents.
Our reporter found that recently the Pakistani consulate in Hong Kong in the official website of the visa program in the new BNO column, click to open found that the consulate for BNO holders to add four new visa threshold, including Personal Affidavit (Personal Affidavit), the original or photocopy of the first passport (Copy/Original of very first Passport), the original or photocopy of the very last Passport (Passport Copy/Original of very last Passport), and a Request from the Applicant for Issuing letter in lieu of Passport. in lieu of Passport). In contrast, the Hong Kong SAR passport application visa requirements are more relaxed, but also business visa-on-arrival way to enter the country.
The Facebook fan page “East of Gibraltar citizen” said the new visa threshold for the Pakistani consulate in Hong Kong was a “small move”, saying that Pakistan, as a Commonwealth country, was ingratiating itself with the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a good thing you don’t go to these countries. It is a good thing that you don’t go to these countries. It is a good thing that you are a Commonwealth country but you are friends with your neighbor (the Chinese Communist Party).
The newspaper has repeatedly called the Pakistani consulate in Hong Kong for further inquiries, but until the deadline has not been answered.
Jane Ho Ming: Pakistani cooperation with the Hong Kong government action
The Pakistani-born Hong Kong resident Jane Ho Ming replied to this newspaper, saying that the Pakistani consulate in Hong Kong is responding to and cooperating with the HKSAR government’s earlier actions, because Pakistan and the Chinese Communist Party are “iron brothers” politically, and have a common enemy – India. Moreover, Pakistan is one of the countries that support the Hong Kong National Security Law. Therefore, it will certainly follow the practice of not recognizing the BNO, “but Pakistan is a Commonwealth country, so he dare not refuse to recognize, only these tricks can be used.”
It is understood that there are still a small number of non-Chinese Hong Kong residents who settled in Hong Kong before the transfer of sovereignty in 1997 hold BNO passports, including Hong Kong people of Pakistani origin. The practice of the Pakistani embassy in Hong Kong may affect the above-mentioned people. Jane Ho Ming said that after 1997, it is believed that many local ethnic minorities have been naturalized in China and hold HKSAR passports, while most of those who have not been naturalized hold passports of their original nationality, including himself. Therefore, he believes that the incident has little impact on Pakistani Hong Kong people and is aimed at Chinese BNO holders.
Kan Ho Ming added that the current number of Pakistani Hong Kong residents holding BNO passports is not large, and is believed to account for less than 1% of non-Chinese residents. Because most have been registered as British citizens through the British “Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009” (Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009). They are also under British consular protection in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau because they do not have Chinese nationality.
In addition, he added that the current political environment in Hong Kong does not preclude non-Chinese residents from leaving Hong Kong to immigrate to the UK on BNO visas.
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