Welsh Parliament debates Home Fee status for BNO Hong Konger students

Today, the Petitions Committee of the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) debated a petition proposing that Hong Kongers under the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa scheme be granted Home Fee status at Welsh universities after three years’ residency in Wales. The petition was submitted by Melody Lin, a BNO student at Swansea University.

The petition was inspired by Hong Kong Watch’s campaign to grant BNO Hong Kongers Home Fee status at English and Welsh universities after three years’ residency. The petition was signed by 377 BNO Hong Kongers in less than one month, meeting the required number of signatures for debate in the Petitions Committee in the Welsh Parliament. 

Today’s Petitions Committee meeting was chaired by Carolyn Thomas MS, and attended by Peter Fox MS, Rhys ab Owen MS, and Luke Fletcher MS. Peter Fox MS, Rhys ab Owen MS and Carolyn Thomas MS all signalled their strong support for the petition. 

Peter Fox MS commented, “We know that this country can pull the stops out, when it needs to, to help people who have come to this country.” He highlighted that Scotland has already changed its eligibility requirements for BNO Hong Kongers after three years’ residency and characterised the current situation as an “injustice”. 

Rhys ab Owen MS referred to the ineligibility of Home Fee status for BNO Hong Kongers a “scandal”, and called on the Welsh government to live up to the promise of the BNO scheme. “We encouraged these people to come, to stay here, and then we put a huge burden on them to continue their education. I genuinely believe we are cutting off our nose to spite our own face – these are people that want to contribute to our country,” he said.

Hong Kong Watch Research and Policy Advisor Thomas Benson observed the Committee debate and met with Senedd Members, alongside Cardiff and Swansea-based BNO Hong Konger students Melody Lin and Kai, as well as Steve Thornton James of Cardiff Hongkongers CIC. 

You can watch the full debate here. 

威爾斯議會就BNO本地生學費資格聯署辯論 香港監察到場觀察並會見議員

今天，威爾斯議會請願委員會就有關BNO本地生學費資格的聯署請願展開辯論，聯署提出容許BNO港人在威爾斯居滿三年後享有威爾斯大學本地生學費資格。聯署行動由史雲斯大學BNO港人學生Melody Lin發起。

今次聯署行動受香港監察的倡議工作啟發，我們正為BNO港人爭取在英格蘭和威爾斯居滿三年後享有當地大學本地生學費資格。聯署發起不足一個月就收集到377名BNO港人的簽名，達到威爾斯議會請願委員會辯論所需的簽署人數。

今天這場請願委員會會議由Carolyn Thomas MS主持，出席議員有Peter Fox MS、Rhys ab Owen MS和Luke Fletcher MS。Peter Fox MS、Rhys ab Owen MS和Carolyn Thomas MS均對聯署表示強烈支持。

Peter Fox MS指出：「我們知道這個國家──在有需要時──有能力竭盡所能幫助來到這個國家的人。」他強調，蘇格蘭早前已經改變政策讓BNO港人居滿三年後符合本地生學費資格要求，又形容目前情況為「不公義」。

Rhys ab Owen MS稱BNO港人不符合本地生學費資格為「醜聞」，並呼籲威爾斯政府兌現BNO簽證計劃的承諾。他說：「我們鼓勵這些人來到這裏，留在這裏，然後卻向他們施加沉重負擔以繼續接受教育。我真心認為這是跟自己過不去──他們都是希望貢獻我們國家的人。」

香港監察研究及政策顧問Thomas Benson親身到場觀看委員會辯論，並聯同居住在卡迪夫和史雲斯的BNO港人學生Melody Lin和Kai，以及Cardiff Hongkongers CIC代表Steve Thornton James與威爾斯議會議員會面。

你可在這裏觀看整場辯論。