Ministers joining Hong Kongers and welcomers to mark three years of BN(O) visa scheme
Government ministers Tom Tugenhadt and Felicity Buchan both addressed a 30 January London reception bringing together Hong Kongers and some of the many UK organisations that have been helping them to settle and integrate in the UK. The event, hosted by the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers (WC4HK), celebrated three years of the BN(O) visa scheme and also looked ahead to lunar new year celebrations in coming weeks.
31st January 2024 marks the three-year anniversary since the UK Government opened a new visa route for British National Overseas (BN(O)) citizens in Hong Kong to move to the UK to live, work, and study. Since then, over 180,000 BN(O) visas have been issued.
Almost all BN(O) Hong Kongers are planning to stay in the UK, with 99% saying they will make the UK their permanent home according to a recent WC4HK study, the most authoritative survey to date of how Hong Kongers are settling in Britain. The same survey found that the vast majority of Hong Kongers are building new relationships with neighbours and colleagues: 90% say they have contact with local people who are not Hong Kongers.
Tom Tugendhat, Minister for Security, said,
"The United Kingdom has a historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong, with whom we share deep and long-standing ties.
"Since we created the BN(O) route three years ago, we have granted over 184,000 visas to Hong Kongers, providing safety, stability and the promise of a better life in Britain.
“We will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong and steadfastly support those who wish to make their home here to thrive in the UK.”
Felicity Buchan, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said:
“It is wonderful to have the opportunity to celebrate the way Hong Kongers have integrated into the UK and to recognise their significant contribution to our national life. Three years on since the BN(O) visa was first introduced, Hong Kongers are thriving and have become vibrant members of our communities, working in vital sectors such as the NHS and schools and setting up businesses and social enterprises.”
Civil society voices and Hong Konger groups also shared their insights about Hong Kongers’ contributions to the UK from an economic and community perspective.
Krish Kandiah, Chair of Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers, draws on his own family history to describe how welcoming helps combat xenophobia. He said, “Hong Kongers have felt that welcome, and it is good for our nation.”
Joyce Chiang, Project Director of Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers, said:
“Over the last three years, we have seen so many people doing fantastic work to help Hong Kongers to settle and integrate in the UK. We have also seen many Hong Kongers doing their best to contribute to their new home. Moving to the fourth year, We hope we can all continue to support Hong Kongers to make their homes here and be a part of the UK community.”
Participants also held up Fai-Chuns (red papers with Lunar New Year greetings), meaning “Welcome” and “Settle in well”, looking forward to the Year of the Dragon. They also expressed their wishes for the new year at the ‘Tree of hope’, looking forward to another year supporting Hong Kongers to thrive in their communities.
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers helps to coordinate the UK’s welcoming efforts across civil society, communities, business, education and government. It conducts research to inform policy and shares best practice around the integration of Hong Kongers. It also supports welcoming organisations working to help new arrivals from Hong Kong to settle and integrate in the UK.
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers, housed at the charity British Future, is one of the national VCSE grant recipients for the Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Programme, administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.