London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

Britain to open up housing support for poverty-stricken Hong Kong BN(O) holders

Britain to open up housing support for poverty-stricken Hong Kong BN(O) holders

New regulations allowing some holders of the BN(O) visa in Britain to access housing support take effect on June 29.

London will allow Hongkongers holding the new British National (Overseas) visa to start applying this month for social housing or homelessness assistance if they are suffering extreme poverty after relocating.

The new regulations for accessing housing support – taking effect on June 29 – expand on earlier changes to immigration rules permitting destitute BN(O) holders to apply for access to public funds in Britain through a change in their visa conditions.

New arrivals from Hong Kong with neither jobs nor credit history have reported struggling with renting homes in Britain, where landlords tend to thoroughly screen prospective tenants. Many landlords request those without the right documents to pay between six and 12 months’ rent up front, according to civic organisations in Britain.

In a statement to the Post, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said BN(O) holders who successfully had their visa conditions changed would “still need to apply for social housing in the same way as anyone else”.

“They would be placed on a waiting list and the waiting time would depend on their priority and the pressure on social housing in that area,” it said.

Waiting lists for social housing in the country are long, with more than 1 million people in England already in line, according to the British charity Shelter. Some have been waiting years.

Immigration specialist Antonia Grant, of Bowers Law, called the provision “very generous”, and one that was offered to relatively few categories of newcomers.

“It is the UK government cementing that commitment that they have made in terms of opening up this visa route,” said Grant, a Hong Kong and British dual-qualified lawyer.

But she said it was not a blanket opening up of access to public funds, with applications to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

“There will be lots of things that you will have to show to get through that threshold and get that marker removed and get access to public funds,” she said, adding the requirements could include sharing bank statements and a monthly breakdown of income and spending.

Hongkonger Roney Chan, 35, who arrived in London in January, said it was good that the government would start providing assistance to those on BN(O) visas.

Chan, who is slated to begin a one-year patisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu London Culinary School in July, used the money from the sale of his flat in the New Territories to move to Britain, and plans to live off his savings while he studies.

“It doesn’t mean that we can just come here without financial preparation, as the queue for council housing is long and you still have to pay rent,” he said of the rule change. “So having savings is still necessary.”

A 36-year old, surnamed Ho, who got his BN(O) visa last month, welcomed the announcement, and said he “definitely” would apply for the benefits if he lost his job and ran out of money.

“I see it as a good thing. It would be better as a safety net,” he said, although he admitted that he believed the scrutiny would make it difficult to get support.

He arrived in London last September with HK$65,000 (US$8,376) in his bank account and worked as a waiter before landing a job in a real estate agency, earning a monthly salary of HK$17,000. He pays HK$6,300 in rent every month for a room in an East London house owned by a mainland Chinese family.

Under the new BN(O) visa scheme that launched in late January, successful applicants are entitled to live, work and study in Britain for five years, after which they can apply for citizenship. The visa programme was launched on the basis that applicants would not be able to access public funds, including social welfare benefits such as those offering housing and income support.

However, the Home Office announced that BN(O) holders from Hong Kong who came became destitute, or were threatened with destitution, could from April 6 apply for the lifting of a visa condition denying them recourse to public funds. Decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis.

In a new estimate, the British government says the number of people who could apply for the change would be between 2,400 and 15,000 in the first five years.

Britain introduced its plans for a new visa last July in response to Beijing’s imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong.

As many as 5.4 million Hong Kong residents are either BN(O) status holders or their dependents, a legacy of the city’s history as a British colony until 1997.

More than 34,000 Hongkongers had applied for the new pathway to British citizenship, as of the end of March, with 7,200 already approved, according to official figures.

The British government website said applicants could apply for a change of visa conditions if the their financial circumstances had changed since they were given permission to stay in Britain.

According to the government’s website, applicants can apply for a change of conditions if they are “no longer able to provide food or housing for themselves or their family [or] the applicant’s child is at risk because of their very low income”.

In April, the British government launched a £43 million (US$59 million) package to support BN(O) families settling in the country, funding local councils nationwide to help the new arrivals from Hong Kong with housing, education and employment.

Benedict Rogers, chairman and co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said the assistance was welcome for those looking to build new lives in Britain.

“Many Hongkongers will be able to establish themselves very quickly, but no one wants anyone to end up destitute, so being offered social housing provides a lifeline to those who may need it,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
×