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British National (Overseas) passport

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

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.

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

6 Jul 2024 - 12:54AMvideocam

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

4 Jul 2024 - 12:27AM

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

7 Jun 2024 - 6:00AMvideocam

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.

24 May 2024 - 11:30PM

People sit near the London Eye. So far, 144,400 Hongkongers have arrived in the UK since the BN(O) scheme was launched in 2021. Photo: AFP

‘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.

18 May 2024 - 8:06PM

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.

21 May 2024 - 6:53PM

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.

8 May 2024 - 3:40PM

Canada is working to keep Hong Kong permanent residency applicants from returning home. Photo: AFP

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

20 May 2024 - 4:55PM

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.

25 Apr 2024 - 4:00PM

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.

14 Apr 2024 - 4:09PM

Two Hong Kong school council heads say pupil withdrawals have been ‘dying down’, with only a handful leaving in the past 1½ years. Photo: Dickson Lee

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.

1 Apr 2024 - 9:00AM

Sydney’s Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Fewer than five applications for Australia’s bespoke migration pathway have been rejected in its second year. Photo: AFP

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.

24 Feb 2024 - 4:48PM

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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.

15 Feb 2024 - 9:22PM

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.

12 Feb 2024 - 4:33PM

Dale Li (right) in action at the GB Maxibasketball trials. Photo: Handout

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.

31 Jan 2024 - 9:05PM

Family, relatives and friends bid farewell to their loved ones leaving the city in 2021. Before the emigration wave, less than 40 per cent of educators withdrew their retirement funds due to resignation. Photo: Dickson Lee

Barred from pro sports, ex-Hong Kong athletes, coaches adjust to life in Britain

Former sports figures hope Britain will drop BN(O) visa scheme’s ban on migrants continuing pro careers.

29 Jan 2024 - 8:30AM

Opinion | Why Chinese immigrants feel frozen out of the UK political scene

The community of Chinese immigrants in Britain used to take pride in members of the diaspora succeeding in British politics, but that is no longer the case. As Sino-British relations have soured, more mainland migrants have started living in the UK according to China’s unspoken rules and dare not speak out.

27 Dec 2023 - 8:32PMvideocam

More Hongkongers want to move overseas or to mainland China, survey finds

Nearly 38 per cent of residents polled by the Chinese University of Hong Kong say they will leave if given opportunity, compared with nearly 29 per cent last year.

15 Dec 2023 - 4:09PM

More Hongkongers are likely to emigrate overseas or move to mainland China compared with a year ago, according to a university poll. Photo: Elson Li

My Take | New British immigration bill has BN(O)ers running scared

Only time will tell whether proposed immigration changes will affect Hongkongers who have moved to the country under the scheme.

7 Dec 2023 - 9:00PM

UK’s plan to curb ‘far too high’ arrivals ‘may hurt Hong Kong BN(O) migrants’

British Home Secretary James Cleverly announces goal to achieve ‘biggest ever’ decrease in net migration by raising salary requirements and restricting dependants.

6 Dec 2023 - 5:29PM

My Take | Poll reveals the complex human story of Hongkongers in the UK

While their new life has not been a bed of roses almost all the BN(O) migrants say they intend to stay. Britain should make the most of them.

3 Dec 2023 - 1:24PM

Opinion | Look beyond the hardships of Hongkongers in the UK

A survey showing 99 per cent of newly arrived Hongkongers in Britain plan to stay permanently is not surprising, given the determination overseas Chinese have shown in the past. If they overcome their hardships, they can make a better life for themselves and teach valuable lessons to others.

2 Dec 2023 - 10:23AMvideocam

A bus passes the entrance to Chinatown in London. Although Hongkongers tend to travel frequently, a few trips overseas as a tourist are not the same as being a resident. Photo: Getty Images

Hong Kong primary schools hardest hit in education sector by UK emigration wave

British Home Office data shows almost 19,280 children aged six to 11 have relocated to UK over past 2½ years.

27 Nov 2023 - 10:55AM

Why Hongkongers in UK feel move was worth it despite less money, fewer friends

While many are struggling to find same type of jobs and social circle they previously enjoyed, they say their lives have changed in ways too important to give up.

25 Nov 2023 - 12:17PMvideocam

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Half of BN(O) migrants jobless, but 99% do not plan to return to Hong Kong: poll

More than 2,000 Hongkongers who emigrated under British National (Overseas) visa programme surveyed on work, finances, emotional well-being.

8 Dec 2023 - 1:00AMvideocam

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Britain offered the BN(O) visa scheme after Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020. Photo: Getty Images

My Take | Expect coming waves of Hong Kong returnees from the UK

New British survey shows few find suitable work. No income or low earnings will diminish their chances of success at securing permanent residency in a country increasingly hostile to immigration.

21 Nov 2023 - 9:00PM

Passengers arrive at the Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Former Man United star Gary Neville pitches branded flats to Hongkongers

Former footballer Gary Neville is marketing to Hongkongers, flats in a 41-storey tower in Manchester that will be the first branded residences and five-star hotel in the city located in northwest England.

8 Nov 2023 - 5:11PM

Early pupil withdrawals drop significantly at elite Hong Kong secondary schools

Exit rates slow noticeably at elite secondary schools, with some even lower than before emigration wave, according to review of eight institutions’ reports by the Post.

7 Nov 2023 - 8:30AM

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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.