First batch of 600 Hongkongers granted UK settlement under BN(O) scheme

The first batch of about 600 Hongkongers has been granted settlement in the United Kingdom as of June after the British government introduced a bespoke pathway for residents in 2021, the country’s authorities have said.

The Home Office, which handles UK immigration, revealed on Thursday the figures under the British National (Overseas), or BN(O), visa scheme, which typically requires these passport holders from Hong Kong to have five years of continuous residence in the country before becoming eligible for permanent settlement.

“While numbers remain relatively small, nearly 600 individuals on the BN(O) route were granted settlement in the year ending June 2025,” the office said in its quarterly figures for immigration.

“Some individuals may be qualifying earlier where time spent on other eligible visa routes, prior to moving onto the BN(O) route, counts towards their five-year residence period.”

The office added that around 166,300 people had arrived in the UK under the scheme as of June – an increase of 2,900 individuals, or 1.8 per cent, from 163,400 in March.

As of June, 181,609 out-of-country visas and 46,256 in-country extensions have been granted.

The office highlighted that BN(O) visa applications, grants and arrivals had continued to decrease since 2021.