On the fifth anniversary of the BNO scheme, Hong Kong Watch calls on the UK government to exempt BNOs from new settlement requirements

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa scheme. Since 31 January 2021, the BN(O) scheme has stood as a remarkable example of the UK’s moral and historical commitment, and offered a safe haven to over 200,000 BN(O) Hong Kongers fleeing from political repression.

Five years on, we now see individuals who arrived in the UK on the BN(O) visa scheme beginning to qualify for settled status. Under the original rules, an individual who has spent 5 years’ continuous residence in the UK can apply for settled status, followed by UK citizenship after an additional 12 months’ residence – referred to as the ‘5+1’ pathway to citizenship.

However, this significant milestone is overshadowed by anxiety and uncertainty in the community, as this pathway to citizenship has come under threat in the past six months. In May 2025, the Home Office published the White Paper Restoring control over the immigration system which proposed extending the standard qualifying period for settled status to ten years. Hong Kong Watch has campaigned tirelessly for BN(O)s to retain their ‘5+1’ pathway to citizenship, arguing that a 10-year wait for BN(O)s would be unreasonable on both practical and moral grounds.

While we welcomed a significant breakthrough in our campaign on 28 November 2025, when the Home Office confirmed that BN(O)s would retain the ‘5+1’ route to citizenship, many remained uncertain about their futures due to the newly proposed mandatory settlement requirements. These include an increase in the English language requirement from B1 ‘low intermediate’ to B2 ‘high intermediate’, and an earnings requirement of £12,570 or more for a minimum of three years.

The sizable response to our large-scale survey of BN(O)s on the likely impact of the proposed ‘earned settlement’ requirements, receiving over 4,500 responses in two weeks, is indicative of the BN(O) community’s severe anxieties over their futures.

Our survey findings will be launched in the Houses of Parliament on 9 February 2026. These findings, in line with survey data collected by other groups, confirmed that these new requirements unfairly block a majority of BN(O)s from obtaining settled status, just as BN(O)s are about to meet the five-year threshold for settled status. 

On this significant milestone of the BN(O) visa scheme, we reiterate our commitment to stand with BN(O) Hong Kongers. The UK government must fully exempt BN(O) Hong Kongers from the new requirements, and honour its unshakable promise made to these British Nationals five years ago today.

BNO計劃五週年 香港監察呼籲英政府豁免BNO港人新定居要求

今日是BNO簽證計劃推行五週年的日子。自2021年1月31日以來，BNO計劃一直印證英國的道義與歷史承諾，為20多萬逃離政治壓迫的BNO香港人提供安全避風港。

五年過去，循BNO簽證計劃抵達英國的香港人開始符合資格申請定居身分。在原本規則下，在英國連續居住五年的人士可以申請定居身分，其後再居住一年即可申請英國公民身分——這俗稱「5+1」入籍途徑。

然而，BNO港人社群的焦慮和不安蓋過這重要里程碑，因這入籍途徑在過去半年受到威脅。2025年5月，內政部發表移民白皮書《Restoring control over the immigration system》，提議延長標準定居資格年期至十年。香港監察不懈倡議維持BNO 「5+1」入籍途徑，指無論是在實際層面還是道義層面，十年等待期對BNO港人來說都不合理。

雖然我們樂見倡議取得重大突破——內政部在2025年11月28日確認BNO 「5+1」入籍途徑將維持不變，但由於政府新提出強制定居要求，很多BNO港人依然對未來感到不安。這些要求包括英語水平由B1 「低中級」提升至B2 「高中級」；三至五年內的年收入高於12,570英鎊。

我們就擬訂「賺取式定居」（earned settlement）要求對BNO港人的可能影響展開大型調查，在兩週內收到超過4,500份回應，數量之多反映BNO社群對未來極度焦慮。

我們將於2026年2月9日假英國國會公布調查結果。有關結果與其他團體收集到的調查數據一致，佐證正當BNO港人即將達到申請定居的五年門檻時，新要求不公平地阻礙大多數人取得定居身分。

BNO簽證計劃踏入這重要里程碑之際，香港監察重申支持BNO港人的承諾。英國政府必須完全豁免BNO港人新要求，信守五年前的今日對這些英國國民作出的堅定承諾。

Photo: Iris Tong, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons