Over 210,000 Hong Kongers apply for UK’s BNO visa, according to new government figures

A total of 210,843 people have applied for the British National (Overseas) visa in the two-and-a-half years since applications opened, according to new Home Office statistics released today. Over 201,877 Hong Kongers have entered the United Kingdom since the BNO visa scheme was announced in July 2020.

In the last quarter, January to March 2024, there were 13,000 applications, a slight increase over previous quarters.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, said:

“With fresh challenges to the rule of law and human rights in Hong Kong, it should not be a surprise that demand for the BNO scheme remains strong almost four years since it was announced.

With the UK heading into a General Election on 4 July, all political parties should now commit to keeping the BNO scheme open, to ensure all those who need a lifeline out of Hong Kong are able to flee repression at home.

At the same time, we should remember that many in Hong Kong remain without access to a lifeline out of the city. In November 2022 the Government made the decision to open the BNO scheme to those born after 1997. This was a very welcome move, but for those aged under 18 at the time of the handover, they are still unable to apply for the BNO scheme if their parents did not register them for a BNO passport.

We will continue to work to ensure that all those who need a lifeline out of Hong Kong have access to one, and we urge other countries to help in this effort.”

The BNO visa allows British National (Overseas) status holders and their dependents to live, work, and study in the UK for five years, after which point they can apply for settlement, and then will be eligible for British citizenship one year after.

The Home Office Impact Assessment on the BNO visa policy published in October 2020 estimated 258,000 to 322,400 people from Hong Kong will arrive over the first five years of the scheme.

內政部最新數據顯示逾21萬港人申請BNO簽證 香港監察繼續致力倡議拓展BNO計劃至97前出生合資格港人

根據英國內政部今天公布的最新統計數據，自BNO簽證計劃開放申請兩年半以來，共有210,843人申請簽證。自2020年7月政府宣布推出計劃以來，已有超過201,877名香港人入境英國。

上季（2024年1月至3月）有13,000宗申請，比過去數季的數字略為上升。

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）表示：

「香港法治與人權面臨新挑戰，故此BNO計劃自政府宣布推出近四年來需求依然殷切，實在不足為奇。

英國將於7月4日舉行大選，所有政黨現在都應承諾維持BNO計劃開放，確保所有需要安全離開香港的人能夠逃離城內鎮壓。

同時，我們應該切記，許多香港人仍然沒有離開城市的救生索。2022年11月，政府決定向1997年後出生的港人開放BNO計劃。我們非常歡迎此舉，但對於主權移交時未滿18歲的港人來說，如果父母沒為他們申請BNO護照，他們仍然無法申請BNO簽證。

我們會繼續致力確保所有需要安全離開香港的人能夠獲得救生索，並促請其他國家為這項工作提供援助。」