On the 27th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover, Hong Kong Watch calls for the BNO scheme to be expanded

On 1 July 2024, Hong Kong marks 27 years since the handover of the city to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It also separately marks the fourth anniversary of the imposition of the National Security Law, a Beijing-imposed law which has undermined judicial independence, damaged Hong Kong’s rule of law, and eroded many of the basic rights and freedoms enshrined in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law. 

On the same date four years ago, the British government announced that it would introduce a lifeboat scheme that offered a pathway to British citizenship for BNO status holders and their dependents: the BNO visa scheme, which since its formal launch on 31 January 2021 has seen over 210,000 BNO passport holders and their dependents start new lives in the UK. 

However, as documented in a new briefing published today by Hong Kong Watch, the date of the handover has a tragic resonance for a specific cohort of Hong Kongers – those who were born to BNO passport-holding parents, but do not have BNO status themselves. 

A Hong Konger born on 1 July 1997 turns 27 today. Provided his or her parents applied for BNO status for themselves before the handover, this individual is able to apply, independently of their parents, for the BNO visa scheme. A Hong Konger without BNO status who was born the day before, on 30 June 1997, is not eligible for the BNO visa scheme regardless of whether their parents hold BNO status. 

For those born between 1 July 1979 and 30 June 1997 this is particularly unfortunate, as they were children at the time of the handover and had no ability to apply for BNO status themselves. 

Many Hong Kongers in this age bracket would desperately like to access the BNO scheme to flee political repression at home and to rejoin with family in the UK, but remain ineligible for the visa. The passing of repressive domestic national security laws, commonly referred to as ‘Article 23’, earlier this year, has caused fresh anxiety for many Hong Kongers without BNO status who remain without a lifeboat out of the city as some of the last remnants of Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms are expunged by the HKSAR government. 

Today, with only three days to go until the UK General Election on 4 July, Hong Kong Watch calls on whichever party forms the next UK government to make good on the UK’s historic commitments to the people of Hong Kong and close the gap in the BNO scheme by enabling those who were aged under 18 at the time of the handover, and who have at least one BNO parent, to be eligible for the BNO scheme regardless of whether they hold BNO status themselves. 

You can read the full briefing, Closing the Gap: Extending the BNO Scheme to those Born before 1997, here.

Thomas Benson, Research and Policy Advisor at Hong Kong Watch, commented:

“Many Hong Kongers born before 1997 have watched their families and friends flee Hong Kong while they remain left behind, with no lifeboat out of the city. In some cases, an individual may find that their parents can leave Hong Kong, as well as younger siblings born after the handover. They meanwhile are caught in a gap in the current BNO visa policy. 

This 1 July, we mark the 27th anniversary of the handover as well as the fourth anniversary of the imposition of the National Security Law and the announcement of the BNO scheme. It is the perfect time to correct some of the inequities which still exist within the scheme and which freeze out those who may have only been infants at the time of the handover. 

No matter which party wins in three day’s time, we call on the incoming UK government to start its new Parliamentary term by rectifying this situation and closing the gap.” 

香港主權移交27週年 香港監察最新簡報倡議拓展BNO計劃至97前出生合資格港人

2024年7月1日是香港主權移交中國27週年，亦是北京強推《國家安全法》四週年的日子。這項惡法已嚴重損害《基本法》所保障香港的司法獨立、法治、基本權利和自由。

四年前的今天，英國政府宣布推出救生艇計劃，向英國國民海外（BNO）身分持有人及其受養親屬提供成為英國公民的渠道。自BNO簽證計劃於2021年1月31日正式開放以來，已有超過210,000名BNO護照持有人及其受養親屬移居英國開展新生活。

但是，香港監察今天發表的簡報指出，主權移交這天引起一群香港人的共鳴——他們的父母持有BNO護照，自己卻不幸沒有BNO身分。

1997年7月1日出生的香港人今天年滿27歲。如果其父母在主權移交前有為其申請BNO身分，此人則可以獨立申請BNO簽證計劃。然而，在前一天（即1997年6月30日）出生的香港人如果自己沒有BNO身分，則無論其父母是否持有BNO身分，都沒有資格申請BNO簽證計劃。

這對於1979年7月1日至1997年6月30日期間出生的人來說尤其不幸，因為他們在主權移交時仍未成年，沒有能力自己申請BNO身分。

許多這個年齡層的香港人迫切希望能夠透過BNO計劃逃離香港政治壓迫，並與身在英國的家人團聚，但一直不符合資格申請簽證。今年初通過的《維護國家安全條例》（即「23條」）為許多沒有BNO身分的香港人帶來新焦慮。香港僅存的權利和自由已被特區政府摧毀，但這群人卻仍然沒有救生艇離開香港。

今天，距離7月4日英國大選僅剩三天，香港監察呼籲任何組成下屆政府的政黨兌現英國對香港人民的歷史承諾，修補BNO簽證計劃的漏洞，擴大申請資格，讓主權移交時未滿18歲的BNO護照持有人子女無論自己是否持有BNO身分，都可以獨立申請BNO簽證。

請在此處閱讀簡報全文《Closing the Gap: Extending the BNO Scheme to those Born before 1997》。

香港監察研究及政策顧問Thomas Benson表示：

「許多1997年之前出生的香港人眼看着家人和朋友離開香港，而自己卻被遺留下來，沒有救生艇可乘。在某些情況下，他們更可能發現其父母及主權移交後出生的弟妹可以離港，自己卻未被現行BNO簽證政策涵蓋。

今年7月1日是香港主權移交27週年，以及實施《國家安全法》和宣布BNO計劃的四週年。這個計劃仍然存在不平等現象，把那些在主權移交時可能只是嬰孩的人排除在計劃之外，現在是糾正這些不平等現象的最佳時機。

無論三天後哪個黨派在大選中獲勝，我們都呼籲即將上任的英國政府在展開新國會任期時修補BNO簽證政策的漏洞。」