New Hong Kong Watch briefing reveals economic benefits of home fees for BNO Hong Kongers

On 14 May, Hong Kong Watch published a new research briefing which finds that granting home fee status to BNO visa holders could unlock billions of pounds in additional income for His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), due to the potential uplift in earnings associated with attaining a university degree. 

Under the current British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa policy for Hong Kongers, young BNO Hong Kongers resident in England and Wales are ineligible for ‘home fee status’ at UK universities before attaining settlement status. The cost of international fees makes attending university prohibitively expensive, with tuition fees and living costs tallying over £130,000 for a standard three-year course. As a result, BNO Hong Kongers are priced out of university education and many cannot attend.

Furthermore, on 12 May, the Home Office published a new White Paper, entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, which outlined plans to extend the standard residency requirement for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) to ten years. This would mean young BNO Hong Kongers would have to wait for a decade to become eligible for home fees.

Granting home fee status to BNO Hong Kongers after three years’ residency would not only rectify this problem, but bring financial benefits to the UK’s university sector and to the wider UK economy. Hong Kong Watch research finds that the average additional income earned by university graduates would mean an increase in tax intake of £1.74 billion over the working life of the affected BNO students. 

As many BNOs are currently priced out of university, they are not paying into the higher education system. Enabling BNOs to pay home fee status would also increase the number of BNOs attending university, due to the increased affordability of home rate tuition fees, resulting in additional income for UK universities. Furthermore, as BNOs would still not be eligible for student loan assistance before attaining settlement, this move would not impose additional demands on the student loan system.

This new research briefing comes as a number of MPs called on the government to grant home fee status to BNO Hong Kongers, raising alarms about the potential impact of the government’s White Paper on the BNO route.

You can read our research briefing in full here.

Thomas Benson, Senior Research and Policy Advisor at Hong Kong Watch, commented: 

“Many BNO families simply cannot afford to pay the astronomical cost of international tuition fees. Today, 18-year-old BNOs are receiving offers to study at UK universities, with no idea whether they will be forced to wait five years, or up to ten years, to qualify for home fee status. 

“Granting home fee status is not only the moral decision; it is the correct economic decision as well. It allows these students to pursue their professional ambitions, earn higher incomes, and contribute more in tax as well as help grow GDP. We urge the government to follow the example of Scotland and grant access to home fee status after three years’ residency.”

香港監察最新簡報揭示給予BNO本地生學費資格將額外帶來17.4億英鎊稅收

香港監察在5月14日發表的新一份研究簡報發現，鑒於大學畢業生的薪酬比沒有大學學歷者的高，給予BNO簽證持有人本地生學費資格可以為英國稅務海關總署（HMRC）帶來數十億英鎊的額外收入。

根據現行政策，居住在英格蘭和威爾斯的年輕BNO港人在獲得定居身分之前並不享有英國大學本地生學費資格。高昂的國際生學費令香港年輕人無法入讀大學，以標準三年制課程計算，學費和生活費總值超過130,000英鎊。因此，許多BNO港人家庭無力負擔大學學費，學子大學止步。

另外，內政部在5月12日發表新一份白皮書《Restoring Control over the Immigration System》，其中提出將無限期居留（indefinite leave to remain）的標準居住要求延長至十年。這可能意味着年輕BNO港人必須等待十年才能以本地生學費資格就讀大學。

向已在英國居滿三年的BNO港人提供本地生學費資格不但可以糾正這個問題，還可以為英國大學教育界以至英國經濟帶來財政效益。香港監察研究發現，大學畢業生的平均收入較高意味着在受影響BNO港人的工作生涯期間，英國政府將額外獲得17.4億英鎊稅收。

由於許多BNO港人目前無力支付大學學費，因此他們沒有入讀大學，沒有向高等教育體系繳交學費。容許BNO港人獲得本地生學費資格將減輕財政負擔，增加BNO港人入讀大學的人數，繼而為英國大學帶來額外收入。另外，由於BNO港人在獲得定居身分之前仍不符合資格申請學生貸款，此舉不會對學生貸款制度造成額外負擔。

發表這份新研究簡報之際，多位國會議員亦呼籲政府給予BNO港人本地生學費資格，同時就上述白皮書對BNO簽證途徑的潛在影響提出憂慮。

請在此處閱覽研究簡報全文。

香港監察資深研究及政策顧問Thomas Benson表示：

「許多BNO家庭根本無力支付高昂的國際生學費。18歲的BNO學生現在收到英國大學的錄取通知書，卻不知道他們是否需要等待五年，甚至十年，才能以本地生資格入讀大學。

給予BNO本地生學費資格不但是道義上的選擇，也是正確的經濟決策。此舉能讓這些學生追求自己的職業抱負，賺取更高的收入，貢獻更多稅收，並促進英國GDP增長。我們促請政府效法蘇格蘭的做法，向已在英國居滿三年的BNO港人提供本地生學費資格。」