The UK is opening its doors to thousands more Hong Kongers, allowing adult children of British National (Overseas) status holders and their families to apply independently, the government announced on Monday.
The move comes amid continuing erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and follows the 20-year prison sentence of British citizen Jimmy Lai under Beijing’s National Security Law.
Adult children of British National status holders who were under 18 at the time of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China will now be eligible to apply independently of their parents.
Their partners and children will also be able to move to the UK under the expanded route, with an estimated 26,000 people expected to arrive over the next five years.
A statement on the UK website on Monday revealed this.
The expansion honours the UK’s historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong and comes amid continuing deterioration of rights and freedoms in the territory.
Officials highlighted the sentencing of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, to 20 years in prison under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law as evidence of growing repression.
“The Prime Minister raised Mr Lai’s case directly with President Xi during his visit, opening up discussion of the UK’s most acute concerns directly with the Chinese government, at the highest levels. Now that the sentencing has happened, the government will rapidly engage further on Mr Lai’s case,” the release stated.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This country will always honour its historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong. We are proud to have already provided a safe haven to almost 170,000 Hong Kongers since 2021.
“In the face of the continued deterioration of rights and freedoms, we are now expanding eligibility so more families can build new lives here. While we must restore order and control to our borders, the British people will always welcome those in genuine need of sanctuary.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “Though Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms continue to erode, this government’s support for its people remains steadfast, and that’s why we are ensuring that young people who missed out on resettlement protection because of their age will now be covered.”
Since the BN(O) route was launched, over 230,000 people have been granted a visa and almost 170,000 have moved to the UK. Officials noted that the route’s expansion closes a gap in eligibility that previously led to “unfair outcomes within families, with some children able to resettle and others not.”
The announcement forms part of broader UK reforms to the asylum system, aimed at creating new humanitarian routes for those fleeing war and persecution.
These capped routes are designed to provide safe and legal alternatives to dangerous small boat crossings and will be established once order is restored to Britain’s borders.
The government also highlighted parallel efforts, including the extension of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme by another year, providing a safe haven for 310,000 Ukrainians and their families, as well as the resettlement of over 37,000 Afghans since 2021, including more than 12,000 who supported British troops during operations in the country.
