Hongkongers who plan to move to Britain can pay to have their British National (Overseas) visas processed within five working days through a new expedited service, the UK announced on Monday.
The new priority service, which costs £500 (HK$4,971) and came into effect on Monday, showed Britain’s “unwavering commitment to the people of Hong Kong,” the UK government said.
The BNO immigration route was announced in July 2020, soon after Beijing imposed the national security law in Hong Kong. Under the scheme, BNO passport holders and their dependents can apply for permanent residency after living in the UK for five years. After one more year, they can apply for British citizenship.
Applications for the new route opened in January 2021. Since its launch, some 144,500 Hongkongers have received BNO visas, the Home Office announced on February 1.
The BNO passport was introduced in 1987 for Hong Kong permanent residents to apply for before the city’s Handover from British to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997. Before the new route was launched, BNO passport holders did not have the right of abode in the UK.
The scheme was expanded last November to include Hongkongers born after July 1, 1997, with at least one parent who is a BNO passport holder.
According to the Home Office, a BNO visa for two years and six months costs £180 (HK$1,790) per person while a visa for five years costs £250 (HK$2,490) per person. Applicants will receive a decision within 12 weeks.
The majority of BNO visa holders are university-educated and married, according to survey results published by the UK government last January. Around 61 per cent of BNO visa holders fall into the age group of 35 to 54, and 60 per cent of them have one child or more.
In May, British Consul General Brian Davidson said London was committed to continuing its immigration pathways for Hongkongers, but that he could not promise the scheme would extend beyond the next UK general election, which will be held no later than January 2025, local media reported.
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