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British National (Overseas) passport

British National (Overseas) passport
Ahead of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule in 1997, Britain granted the city’s residents born before the handover British National (Overseas) passports that allowed them to stay in the country for up to six months. In July 2020, the British government offered Hongkongers with BN(O) status and their dependants a pathway to citizenship, in response to Beijing's imposition of the national security law. From January 31, 2021, they can apply for a visa to work or live in Britain for five years, before they are eligible to apply for citizenship.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Tower Bridge in London. High childcare costs present significant barriers to entering the workforce, according to a think tank’s report on Hongkongers settling in the UK. Photo: EPA-EFE
Education in Hong Kong

Hongkongers in England, Wales extend record birth numbers under BN(O) scheme

Hongkongers had 2,129 babies last year in England and Wales, even as birth numbers hit nearly 50-year low in their new homes.

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Education in Hong Kong

Early exit rates at elite Hong Kong secondary schools drop sharply

Education in Hong Kong

Exclusive | 1,887 Hong Kong teachers apply to work in England under education talent scheme

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Hong Kong society

Hongkongers will need to pay to enter UK next year with electronic travel permit

Britain’s stepped-up border controls require Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders to obtain permit from January 2025.

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Visitors can apply for the electronic travel permit through an official mobile app or via a website. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Being Chinese | How I transcended my Hong Kong identity crisis

I felt neither British nor Chinese growing up in Hong Kong. Travelling the world and living in Beijing helped me find my bearings.

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Britain

150,400 Hongkongers have moved to UK using BN(O) pathway

British authorities say application numbers are decreasing, with only about 5,700 received in most recent quarter.

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Hong Kong society

Muslim Hongkongers’ safety fears in UK as anti-immigration riots rock England

Muslim Council of Hong Kong chairman Adeel Malik, who now lives in Birmingham, says community checking on safety of family and friends.

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A rioter in the English city of Bristol hurls a beer can at a police line as the country was hit by anti-immigration protests. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Hongkongers warned to exercise caution in the UK amid anti-immigration riots

A stabbing attack on July 29 that killed three children and injured 10 others triggered violence that has spread throughout the country.

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Education in Hong Kong

Higher VAT to hit UK private schools, but experts say Hong Kong families unfazed

Consultants add the VAT roll-out is likely to be charged in phases and schools may not pass on all the tax burden to parents.

International Property

UK property market sees green shoots as buyers eye rate cut, lower mortgage rates

Hong Kong- and mainland China-based buyers could return to UK property markets on prospects of lower interest rates and mortgage costs.

The Ariel, a 23-storey residential tower with 167 units comprising studios and flats with one-to-three bedrooms with an area of between 400 and 2,071 sq ft, in Television Centre in White City, London, is being marketed with prices starting at £590,000 (US$762,000). HANDOUT PHOTO
Education in Hong Kong

Number of Hong Kong students at state schools in England rises by nearly a third

Birmingham, Nottinghamshire and Barnet the most popular choices, government survey finds.

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Birmingham City Council. Birmingham, Nottinghamshire and Barnet are the most popular choices for Hong Kong students, a government survey has found. Photo: Shutterstock
Britain

My Take | BN(O) scheme more a cruel trap than ticket to paradise

For many, life under the migration scheme to escape ‘tyrannical’ Hong Kong has turned into a vale of tears.

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Britain

Opinion | 3 factors that will shape Britain’s China policy under Labour

The British economy’s woes, US influence and tension between chasing growth and upholding British values will guide Labour’s policymaking.

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Hong Kong society

UK’s BN(O) scheme for Hongkongers unlikely to change under Labour, analysts say

But rise of anti-immigration Reform UK party could increase resistance to BN(O) policy in the long run, experts say.

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Labour leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive at 10 Downing Street following the party’s landslide victory. Photo: Phil Noble
Hong Kong society

Hongkongers in UK flex political muscles as the country goes to the polls

The new wave of Hong Kong migrants in Britain have already engaged politically and the three main UK-wide parties have included city in manifestos.

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A sign for a polling station near Westminster as the UK prepares for Thursday’s general election. Photo: Bloomberg
China's economic recovery

The FOMO is real for China’s eager emigrants who see a move as now or never

Middle-class Chinese with the means to move abroad see a rapidly closing window of opportunity as developed countries tighten immigration policies, and the race is on as applicant interest surges.

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Hong Kong society

Number of Hongkongers applying for BN(O) visas rises amid Article 23 law passage

UK government receives 29,571 out-of-country British National (Overseas) visa applications between January and March, 150.6 per cent increase over same period in 2023.

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Hong Kong national security law

‘Get involved and give back’: who are the Hongkongers being elected to UK councils?

First ex-Hong Kong district councillor to be elected to UK local authority hopes other new arrivals will also get involved in politics.

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The UK government launched ta bespoke migration pathway in 2021 in response to Beijing imposing the national security law the year before. Photo: Bloomberg
Hong Kong-UK spying row

Explainer | What is UK National Security Act and how does it compare with Hong Kong law?

The UK says its national security legislation is designed to cover areas such as espionage, sabotage, working for foreign powers, and terrorism, and introduces new offences.

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Hong Kong society

Canada to grant special work permits to Hongkongers seeking permanent residency

New measure to be implemented on May 27 onwards, remain in place for five years to allow applicants to extend temporary status in Canada, Ottawa says.

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Hong Kong society

Former Hong Kong district councillor elected to UK local authority

‘They have chosen a Hongkonger to represent them in the council because we share similar values,’ Andy Ng says after UK local authority election victory

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Liberal Democrat candidates for the Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates ward: Stephen Newton (right), Andy Ng (centre) and Mike Smith. Ng announced his victory on Friday in the Wokingham election. Photo: Wokingham Liberal Democrats
Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong minister tells UK official BN(O) passports invalid as proof of identity

Treasury chief Christopher Hui seeks to clear up confusion over whether residents on UK citizenship pathway can withdraw pensions at meeting with visiting British minister.

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The UK introduced the British National (Overseas) citizen pathway scheme in 2020. Photo: Fung Chang
Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong schools lost 4,600 pupils in 2022-23 as emigration wave slowed

Two school council heads say student withdrawals have been ‘dying down’, with only a handful leaving in the past 1½ years.

Hong Kong society

Australia gives permanent residency to 680 Hongkongers in second year of scheme

Australia has exempted Hongkongers in the country from tightened language requirements for graduate work visas, but some worry over new age rules.

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Hong Kong society

BN(O) scheme lures Hongkongers in their prime and ‘hard to replace’

People in their 30s and 40s who left are a big loss of talent and babies too, population expert says.

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Hong Kong’s raft of talent schemes may struggle to replace the diverse pool of workers who have left the city, an expert has said. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong national security law

3-year decline in number of Hongkongers applying for UK universities

But figures may not reflect applicants who relocated through BN(O) pathway as they may have declared themselves as UK domiciled.

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Prospective students at a higher education expo in 2021. Only 5,130 students from Hong Kong applied for UCAS during the university admission platform’s latest round. Photo: Chan Ho-him

Veteran Hong Kong basketball star Li off to European Championships with Team GB

Dale Li thought his playing days were behind him when he relocated to Nottingham, now he’s preparing to suit up against best in Europe.

Education in Hong Kong

Drop in Hong Kong teachers quitting, HK$10.1 billion withdrawn from provident funds

In 2022-23 school year, 3,334 teachers from both subsidised and grant schools left their roles, accounting for 6 per cent overall decline compared with previous year.

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