About 150,400 Hongkongers moved to Britain using a bespoke immigration pathway between the launch of the scheme in 2021 and this past June, with 26,400 emigrating over the past year, official data shows.
But British authorities on Thursday also said the number of applications and visas granted had been decreasing. The country received 5,700 applications and granted 7,664 British National (Overseas) visas in the second quarter, down from the number when the scheme was launched.
“When this route first opened, there were over 30,000 applications per quarter (between January to March and April to June 2021) on in and out of country routes combined; but the number of applications has since decreased with the most recent quarter reaching approximately 5,700,” they said.
The number of BN(O) visas granted peaked at almost 40,000 between April and June three years ago and had decreased to 7,664 in the most recent quarter, London said.
So far, 150,400 people have moved to the United Kingdom via the pathway, with 26,400 arriving between July last year and June.
An estimated 5.4 million of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents are eligible to apply for the visa, which allows successful applicants and their dependants to live, work and study in Britain for up to five years, after which they can apply for citizenship.
Britain granted BN(O) status to 3.4 million Hong Kong residents born before the 1997 handover.
09:35
Hong Kong families find fresh start in London
Hong Kong families find fresh start in London
Britain launched the pathway after Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020, which the UK described as a “clear and serious breach” of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that laid out the conditions for the city’s return to Chinese rule.
The law, enacted following anti-government protests, bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers.
The UK Home Office said in 2020 the visa policy would be reviewed in October next year.
The latest data also showed eight asylum seeker applications – including a dependant under 18 years old – were received in the second quarter of this year.
But no grants of protection or any leave were given to the asylum seeker applicants from Hong Kong in the second quarter, while another 12 cases were refused.
