A UK-based platform supporting British National (Overseas) visa holders is launching a campaign to lobby against London’s proposed immigration reforms, calling them unfair and a source of “acute anxiety” for the Hong Kong community in the country.
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The Sutton Hongkongers group said people who had moved to Britain from the city felt that the UK government was “moving the goalposts”, making its past pledges a “broken promise”.
The platform, founded by Richard Choi Ka-yuen, a Liberal Democrat councillor in the London borough of Sutton, urged the Labour government to exempt existing BN(O) visa holders from any new rules to obtain citizenship.
Choi released a report on Friday via his social media account, saying the group had already received 50 pieces of feedback from concerned Hongkongers within a day of the British government announcing a consultation on the reforms.
“[This reflects] the acute anxiety felt by the community,” the group said.
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The UK released for public consultation earlier this week proposals imposing stricter rules for obtaining citizenship, including extending the period to 10 years that people in certain immigration routes will need to wait before being able to apply for settlement.
While the British government has maintained the five-year pathway to permanent residency for BN(O) visa holders, they will still be subject to stricter English proficiency requirements, as well as a possible annual income threshold of £12,750 for three to five years.