Hongkongers on BN(O) visas rethink options over UK migration policy uncertainty

Gabriel*, a 20-year-old Hong Kong student hoping to settle in the UK after completing his studies at a British university, has found himself considering a change to his plans after London floated a proposal to tighten its immigration policies.

More than a week after the British government published a white paper introducing measures, such as doubling the settlement qualifying period for migrants to 10 years, there was still a lack of clarity on whether the new rules would apply to Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders.

“I might consider moving to other countries in Europe or even Canada, New Zealand or Australia. They have way shorter settlement periods,” said Gabriel, who started studying economics in Cambridge in 2023.

He obtained his BN(O) visa in August last year and has planned to stay in the United Kingdom upon graduation.

“I did not consider returning to Hong Kong because I felt that there were more opportunities overseas, not necessarily because the UK is amazing,” he said.

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.