MPs and nearly 1,000 BNO Hong Kongers urge UK government to consider granting Home Fee status to BNOs
Nearly 1,000 BNO Hong Kongers from across the UK signed a letter from Hong Kong Watch to the new Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, calling on the UK government to consider granting Home Fee status to BNOs.
A copy of the letter, together with the names of 980 BNO Hong Konger signatories, will be sent to the Education Secretary this week.
Following written requests for endorsement from BNO Hong Kong constituents, the letter is also endorsed by MPs from all three major parties (see below), including two Hong Kong Watch Patrons, Lord Patten of Barnes, the last Governor of Hong Kong, and Crossbench Peer Lord Alton of Liverpool.
Young BNO visa holders living in England and Wales currently face paying exceedingly high international fees, without access to student financing, in order to attend university in the UK. This is in contrast to students on other humanitarian pathways in the UK, such as those from Ukraine or Afghanistan, who have Home Fee status, as well as EU students, who are eligible to receive Home Fee status after three years’ residency in the UK, EEA or Switzerland. As a result, young BNOs have to pay up to £50,000 a year in tuition fees alone, pricing them out of university courses and the chance to pursue professional careers.
In May 2023, the Scottish government announced that it would change tuition fee eligibility requirements for all migrant students, meaning that BNO visa holders are now able to access free tuition fees at Scottish Higher Education institutes after three years’ residency in Scotland.
Hong Kong Watch’s letter urges the UK government to follow the example of the Scottish government by granting BNO visa holders Home Fee status after three years’ residency.
The letter can be read here.
Hong Kong Watch’s report on Home Fee status for BNO Hong Kongers, which was launched in the UK Parliament in March, can be read here.
The letter is endorsed by the following MPs and Peers:
Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham
Will Forster, Liberal Democrat MP for Woking
Blair McDougall, Labour MP for East Renfrewshire
James Naish, Labour MP for Rushcliffe
Charlotte Nichols, Labour MP for Warrington North
Zoë Franklin, Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East
The Lord Alton of Liverpool, Crossbench Peer
The Lord Patten of Barnes, Conservative Peer and the last Governor of Hong Kong
英國跨黨派議員聯同近千名BNO港人促政府考慮授予BNO本地生學費資格
近千名來自英國各地的BNO香港人簽署了香港監察致新任教育大臣方佩芝議員（Bridget Phillipson MP）的信函，呼籲英國政府考慮向BNO港人授予本地生學費資格。
香港監察本週將發送附有980名BNO港人簽署的信函副本給教育大臣。
繼BNO港人選民聯絡當地國會議員請求支持後，信函亦獲三大政黨國會兩院議員（見下文）支持，當中包括兩位香港監察贊助人：前港督彭定康勳爵（Lord Patten of Barnes），以及中立議員奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）。
居於英格蘭和威爾斯的年輕BNO簽證持有人現時要付高昂國際生學費（且不符合學生資助資格），才能在英國讀大學。這有別於英國其他基於人道理由抵英的學生，例如來自烏克蘭或阿富汗的學生享有本地生學費資格，以及歐盟學生在英國、歐洲經濟區或瑞士居滿三年後就獲得本地生學費資格。因此，年輕BNO港人每年單是學費就要支付高達5萬英鎊，以致無法接受大學教育，失去追求事業的機會。
2023年5月，蘇格蘭政府宣布修訂所有移民學生的學費資格要求，意味着BNO簽證持有人現可在蘇格蘭居滿三年後享有蘇格蘭高等教育機構免學費資格。
香港監察信函促請英國政府效法蘇格蘭政府，向已在英國居滿三年的BNO簽證持有人授予本地生學費資格。
請在此處閱讀有關信函。
香港監察今年3月在英國國會發布BNO港人本地生學費資格報告，請在此處閱讀有關報告。
信函獲下列英國國會上下議院議員支持：
Rotherham選區工黨下議員柴萍恩（Sarah Champion）
Woking選區自由民主黨下議員Will Forster
East Renfrewshire選區工黨下議員Blair McDougall
Rushcliffe選區工黨下議員James Naish
Warrington North選區工黨下議員Charlotte Nichols
Guildford選區自由民主黨下議員Zoë Franklin
Chingford and Woodford Green選區保守黨下議員施志安爵士（Sir Iain Duncan Smith）
Nottingham East選區工黨下議員Nadia Whittome
中立上議員奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）
保守黨上議員、前香港總督彭定康勳爵（Lord Patten of Barnes）