Major changes for British National (Overseas) passport holders

British National (Overseas) passports were issued to people in Hong Kong by the UK before the transfer of the territory to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Presently, a BNO passport holder is usually granted 6 months leave to enter on arrival in the UK but does not have the right to study, live and work in the UK.

The British government has indicated that if China implements the proposed national security legislation, the UK will allow BNO passport holders to come to the UK and to apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months from within the UK together with a pathway to full British citizenship upon the completion on the required residency period.

The UK could offer British National (Overseas) passport holders in Hong Kong a path to UK citizenship if China does not suspend plans for a security law in the territory, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says.

There are 300,000 BNO passport holders in Hong Kong who have the right to visit the UK for up to six months without a visa.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52842303

If you have any questions or concerns, contact Hateem Ali, Head of Corporate & Private Immigration, directly on [email protected] or 020 7822 2209.

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