UK Government says nearly 65,000 Hong Kongers take up BNO scheme in first 2 quarters of 2021

On 26 August 2021, the British Government released new migration figures for the second quarter of 2021 (April-June).

They stated that:

”On 31 January 2021, the UK Government introduced a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders, providing the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK. The data below relates to the second quarter of 2021, April to June 2021, unless otherwise specified. This data is provisional and has been rounded to the nearest hundred. Data for Q3 2021 will be published on 25th November 2021.

There were 30,600 applications for the BN(O) route in Q2 of 2021, with 25,600 out of country applications, and 5,000 in country applications. Of the total, 17,500 applications relate to main applicants and 13,100 relate to dependants. There have been a total of 64,900 applications for the BN(O) route since its introduction on 31st January up to 30th June 2021.”

Johnny Patterson, Policy Director of Hong Kong Watch, says:

”With nearly 65,000 applicants in the first five months of the scheme, the British Government's estimates of over 100,000 BNOs moving in the first year is beginning to look conservative. Given that airport photos show that thousands of people moved in July, it is clear that there is considerable demand for the BNO scheme.

Political factors are driving this migration flow. The National Security Law has addressed none of the underlying grievances which pushed people to the streets, but has instead entrenched the deep mistrust in the government and sense of political disenfranchisement which drove protests. With the space for civil society now considerably constricted and the free press under pressure, it should not surprise us that people have found themselves looking for the door."