163,400 Hongkongers arrive in the UK under BN(O) visa since 2021

More than 163,000 Hongkongers have arrived in the UK since the British government introduced a bespoke pathway for residents in 2021, authorities have said.

The British government also said it would hold a consultation later this year to look at whether its recent proposals to tighten immigration rules would apply to Hongkongers.

The Home Office, which deals with immigration, announced on Thursday that 163,400 people had arrived in the United Kingdom under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme as of March this year, an increase of 2,220, or 1.3 per cent, from 161,200 in December.

“BN(O) visa applications, grants and arrivals have continued to decrease since 2021,” the office said in its quarterly figures for immigration.

A total of 179,258 out-of-country visas had been granted and 44,646 in-country extensions.

Britain introduced the new visa scheme in January 2021 for Hong Kong residents in response to Beijing’s imposition of a national security law on the city.