Hong Kong Watch urges the UK government to maintain the ‘5+1’ pathway for over 166,300 Hong Kongers on the BNO scheme

Today, newly released Home Office statistics shows that 181,609 visas have been granted since the launch of the BNO visa scheme in 2021, and over 166,300 have arrived in the UK. 11,804 visas were granted in the year ending June 2025, which shows a slowing of 47 percent compared to 22,219 grants in the year ending June 2024.

Most notably, the Home Office has reported that nearly 600 Hong Kongers on the BNO scheme have been granted settlement status. These 600 represent Hong Kongers who would have possessed a UK visa prior to the launch of the BNO scheme in January 2021.

However, for many of the 166,300 BNO Hong Kongers, their pathways to settlement in the UK remain unclear since the publication of the Immigration White Paper on 12 May, which proposes changes to the Immigration Rules which might affect the BNO scheme, including doubling the standard time to achieve settled status from five years to ten.

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

‘The BNO visa, which is listed as one of the humanitarian routes by the Home Office, was introduced as a direct response to Hong Kong’s National Security Law to offer humanitarian protection to those fleeing political repression. It is also rooted in Britain’s historic obligations to the people of Hong Kong.

Now is the time for the UK government to stand by its promises and commit to upholding the 5+1 pathway for the 166,300 British Nationals now lacking clarity over their future migration status in the UK.’

內政部最新數據顯示逾16萬港人抵英  近600人獲定居身分  香港監察籲英政府維持BNO「5+1」入籍途徑

英國內政部今天公布的移民數據顯示，自2021年BNO簽證計畫推出以來，英國批出了181,609宗BNO簽證申請，當中超過166,300名港人已經抵達英國。截至2025年6月止年度，英國批出了11,804宗BNO簽證申請，與去年同期的22,219宗相比下降47%。

值得關注的是，內政部提到有近600名BNO簽證持有人已獲得定居身分。這600名港人在2021年1月BNO計畫推出前就已經持有其他類別的英國簽證。

然而，對於166,300名在英港人當中大部份人來說，他們在英國的定居途徑仍然充滿未知數。英國內政部於5月12日發表的移民白皮書中提議修改英國移民規則（Immigration Rules），包括將獲得定居身分的標準時間由五年增加一倍至十年，這可能會影響BNO計劃。

香港監察資深研究及政策顧問湯柏森（Thomas Benson）表示：

「BNO簽證計劃是英國政府對香港實施《國家安全法》的直接回應，旨在為逃離政治壓迫的人提供人道保護，英國內政部將其列為人道簽證途徑之一。BNO計劃也是基於英國對香港歷史義務的莊嚴承諾。

英國政府應立即承諾維持BNO簽證的「5+1」入籍途徑，向166,300名對未來移民身份充滿未知數的英國公民履行承諾。 」

Photo: Unsplash