Britain looking at what can be done for young Hongkongers not eligible for BN(O) visa and seeking to emigrate
- Proposed amendment to Nationality and Borders Bill calls for BN(O) visa scheme to be expanded to anyone born on or after 1997
- Chris Patten, city’s last colonial governor and a signatory of amendment, says it ‘repairs a hole in lifeboat scheme for Hongkongers’
British minister Andrew Sharpe told the House of Lords on Thursday that the government had heard the concerns about the appropriateness of the other immigration routes for young Hongkongers born to BN(O) parents after 1997.
“We are therefore looking at whether more can be done to support this cohort wishing to build a permanent life in the UK,” he said, adding the government would have an update in the next few weeks.
The proposed amendment to the Nationality and Borders Bill calls for the scheme to be expanded to anyone born on or after 1997, with at least one parent with BN(O) status, and who currently is a resident in Hong Kong or Britain.
Those proposing the amendment pointed to data from advocacy group Hong Kong Watch, which found 93 per cent of more than 1,000 defendants who faced charges relating to the 2019 anti-government protests were under the age of 25, and therefore not likely to be BN(O) status holders.
Last December, the government turned down a similar amendment in the House of Commons, after it raised concerns that it was too broad and did not contain safeguards against age limits and residency.
David Alton, a patron of Hong Kong Watch, introduced the new amendment into the House of Lords, saying the government needed to provide young Hongkongers with “a meaningful route to settlement”, which the BN(O) scheme would provide if opened to them.
