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Hong Kong national security law
Hong KongPolitics

Explainer | National security law: how Hong Kong BN(O) passport holders can apply for Britain’s special visa

  • New visa expected to be popular among young Hongkongers born in the 1990s, who may not be eligible for migration programmes in other countries
  • But expert warns of current Covid-19 situation in country and gloomy economic outlook, with need to be able to support oneself for six months

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Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong hold BN(O) passports aloft during a rally at the British Consulate last October. Photo: Nora Tam
Laura Westbrook

The British government on Wednesday outlined its pathway to citizenship for almost 3 million Hong Kong residents, in response to Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national security law on the city.

Hongkongers with British National (Overseas) passports and their immediate dependants would have the right to apply for a special visa from January 2021, Home Secretary Priti Patel said, calling the offer “very generous”.

While Patel called the national security law a breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, undermining “one country, two systems”, Beijing and the Hong Kong government have threatened to stop recognising the passport as a valid travel document, condemning London’s move as intervening in the city’s domestic affairs.

Some Hongkongers have welcomed the plan, seeing it as a lifeboat, especially for those who have taken part in last year’s anti-government protests. Crucially, however, there is no mention of how the special visa will affect people convicted only of offences related to the recent demonstrations in Hong Kong.

The British Consulate in Hong Kong confirmed to the Post: “it is not part of the policy statement.”

BN(O) passports were issued to Hongkongers born before the 1997 handover, and under current rules, holders can visit Britain for up to six months, but the documents do not automatically allow them to work or live there.

This article outlines the key questions potential applicants need to know.

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