London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

MPs back Hong Kong visa relaxations

MPs back Hong Kong visa relaxations

Almost 90,000 Hongkongers applied to come to the UK between February and the end of September under under the BNO - British National (Overseas) - visa scheme.
But senior Conservative MPs are now pressing the government to amend the scheme so that more young people from the former British colony can apply for the BNO visa.

The scheme was introduced on January 31 this year as a government response to Beijing's imposition of strict national security laws on Hong Kong in a bid to end mass, pro-democracy demonstrations.

Those currently eligible for the visa, which entitles successful applicants to come to live and work in the UK for five years and then apply for citizenship, are an estimated 2.9 million who were living in Hong Kong at the time of the 1997 handover to Chinese rule, plus another 2.3 million of their dependants.

Figures from the Home Office last week showed that, to the end of September, 88,800 applications had been made under the scheme, with more than 80 per cent already approved.

However, the total for the third quarter of the year was about 20 per cent down on Q2, mainly because of the opening of new migration routes to Australia and Canada, according to the South China Morning Post, which also reported that about 40,000 families were estimated to have left Hong Kong this year.

Even so, there have been long-running concerns that people born after 1997 and whose parents are entitled to BNO status, were being "left behind" because their parents had opted to remain in Hong Kong.

Now an amendment to the government's Borders Bill is being proposed by Damian Green, a former Tory immigration minister, to extend the visa scheme to Hongkongers aged 18-25 and with at least one parent eligible to BNO status.

If passed, the young people would be entitled to come to the UK on their own, without having to be accompanied by a BNO parent. At present, such individuals' only route to the UK is to claim asylum.

At least a dozen Conservative MPs are supporting the amendment, including former party leader Iain Duncan Smith, and chairman of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, Tom Tugendhat.“The BNO scheme is a great success story which the government should take credit for, but sadly the current scheme does not cover many of the brave young activists in Hong Kong,” said Mr Duncan Smith.

“Many of these pro-democracy campaigners are in danger of being prosecuted by the intolerant Chinese Communist party and its representatives in Hong Kong. I urge the government to think carefully about helping these people, too.”

Mr Green added: “My amendment would mandate a simple rule change that would ensure our immigration system offers a lifeline to the young people who need it most.

“If we do not rationalise the policy in this way, many of these people will inevitably end up claiming asylum because they face political prosecution.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×