Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of UK Universities urge Department for Education to grant Home Fee status to BNO Hong Kongers

Today, six current and former Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of UK universities – Lord Patten, the former Chancellor of the University of Oxford, the last Governor of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Watch Patron, Lord Boateng, Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, Baroness Cox, Founder Chancellor of Bournemouth University, former Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University and Honorary Vice-President of the Royal College of Nursing, Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University, Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Birmingham, Professor Anthony Forster, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex, and Professor Nishan Canagarajah, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester – sent a letter to the UK Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP, urging her to grant Home Fee status to BNO Hong Kongers after three years’ residency in the UK. 

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 2023, following a campaign by Hong Kong Watch, the Scottish government introduced Home Fee status for BNOs after three years’ residency in Scotland. Hong Kong Watch is now calling for this to be extended to the whole of the UK.  

In the letter, the Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors note that the decision to extend Home Fee status to BNO Hong Kongers would not only be the right moral decision, but would have a sound economic basis. University graduates earn on average £10,000 more a year than non-graduates, and with 99% of BNOs looking to stay in the UK and gain British citizenship, allowing BNOs to afford study at UK universities would help boost tax income for decades to come. 

This letter comes on the back of Hong Kong Watch’s earlier letter to the Secretary of State for Education, sent on 10 September, which garnered nearly 1,000 signatures from BNO Hong Kongers and endorsements from 10 MPs and Peers. 

On 17 September Hong Kong Watch received confirmation from the Department of Education of their request for a meeting with the Secretary of State, but as of 15 October has not heard any further confirmation of whether a meeting has been granted.  

The full letter can be found here.

Lord Patten of Barnes, ex-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Hong Kong Watch Patron and the last Governor of Hong Kong, commented: 

“Stepping down after 21 years as Chancellor of the University of Oxford, I have presided over countless matriculations and graduation ceremonies, and seen generations of students go on to achieve great things with the skills and knowledge their university educations have afforded them. I deeply hope that the many thousands of young BNOs now living in the UK will be given the opportunity to do the same, by making them eligible to pay Home Fees alongside EU students and those on other humanitarian pathways. 

In 2020, the Labour Party said that the previous Government’s decision not to grant Home Fee status to BNO Hong Kongers ‘seems wrong’. I agree with that assessment. Now, it is within their power to right this wrong, and I hope that the new Secretary of State for Education will grant Home Fees status to BNO Hong Kongers after three years’ residency in the UK.”

英國大學校監及校長聯署促請政府授予BNO港人本地生學費資格

今天，六位現任及前任英國大學校監及校長聯署致函英國教育大臣方佩芝議員（Bridget Phillipson MP），促請向在英國居滿三年的BNO香港人授予本地生學費資格。相關校監及校長為：前牛津大學校監、最後一任香港總督、香港監察贊助人彭定康勳爵（Lord Patten）；格林威治大學校監Lord Boateng；般尼茅夫大學創校校監、前利物浦希望大學校監、皇家護理學院榮譽副院長Baroness Cox；杜倫大學校長暨院長Professor Karen O’Brien；伯明翰大學校長暨院長Professor Adam Tickell；雅息士大學校長Professor Anthony Forster；李斯特大學校長Professor Nishan Canagarajah。

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，經過香港監察倡議，蘇格蘭政府修訂政策，讓BNO港人在蘇格蘭居滿三年後可享有本地生學費資格。香港監察現正呼籲把這項政策擴展到全英國。

聯署校監及校長在信中指出，拓展本地生學費資格至BNO港人不但是道義上的正確決定，而且有合理的經濟根據。大學畢業生平均每年比非畢業生多賺10,000英鎊，而99%BNO港人計劃留在英國，取得英國公民身分，因此容許BNO港人負擔到讀英國大學有助提高未來數十年的稅收。

這封信承接香港監察早前在9月10日寄給教育大臣的信函，該信獲近千名BNO港人簽署，並獲十位國會兩院議員支持。

9月17日，香港監察收到教育部要求與大臣會面的確認書，但截至10月15日，我們尚未聽到任何進一步確認已答應會面的消息。

信函全文可見此處。

前牛津大學校監、香港監察贊助人、前港督彭定康勳爵（Lord Patten of Barnes）表示：

「我擔任牛津大學校監21年後卸任，期間主持過無數入學禮和畢業禮，見證一代又一代的學生運用大學教育給予他們的技能和知識，取得偉大成就。我深深希望成千上萬現居英國的年輕BNO港人能夠與歐盟學生及其他基於人道理由抵英的學生一樣，享有本地生學費資格，從而有機會做同樣的事情。

2020年，工黨表示上屆政府決定不向BNO港人授予本地生學費資格『似乎是錯的』。我同意這個評價。他們現在有權力糾正這個錯誤，我希望新任教育大臣能夠向在英國居滿三年的BNO港人授予本地生學費資格。」