Hong Kong Watch responds to Earned Settlement policy paper

(This statement has been updated as of 12:45pm on 3 November 2026.)

Today, the Home Office published A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government Response to the Consultation, which outlines the new immigration rules for settled status or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the publication of the policy paper in a statement to the House of Commons, confirming that the standard pathway to ILR will be lengthened from five to ten years. British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa holders will remain exempt from this change, as confirmed by the government in November last year.

Following her statement, the Home Secretary announced that applicants for settled status on the BN(O) Hong Kong visa scheme will be required to fulfil new mandatory minimum requirements, including a B2 English level, no criminality, and no government debt. We have now received confirmation from the Home Office that BN(O)s are exempt from the minimum earning requirement of above £12,570.

The government has outlined exemptions for the language requirement, including for children, those aged over 65, and those unable to meet the requirement due to a physical or mental condition.

However, the B2 English language requirement may still impact the BN(O) Hong Kong community in ways that are difficult to assess. While the exemptions outlined above are welcome, some Hong Kongers may still face difficulty meeting the new requirement, having already built their lives in the UK under the rules in place when they arrived. We look forward to continuing to work with the government to understand how these changes will work in practice. 

Megan Khoo, Policy and Advocacy Director at Hong Kong Watch, said:

“After over a year of sustained advocacy, we welcome the clarity that BN(O) visa holders will be exempt from the ‘earned settlement’ framework, including minimum income requirements, and will keep their 5-year pathway to settlement. This is significant reassurance for the BN(O) community and a testament to the collaborative efforts of our parliamentary allies, the Home Office, and the Hong Kong community. 

For the past year and a half, the futures of BN(O)s, Hong Kong asylum seekers, and refugees have been marked by anxiety and uncertainty. We hope this clarity will bring relief to many Hong Kong families. We will continue to monitor how the new mandatory requirements affect the community, and to press the government to ensure that all BN(O)s are able to obtain settled status and security in their new home.”

英政府宣布維持「5+1」BNO政策  BNO可獲豁免收入要求  但須符合B2英文水平等新強制要求

（這份聲明已在2026年11月3日下午12時45分更新。）

今天，英國內政部就定居資格修訂發表題為《A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government Response to the Consultation》的政府文件。內政大臣馬曼婷（Shabana Mahmood）在下議院發表口頭聲明公布文件細節，確認標準定居途徑將由五年延長至十年。如政府去年11月所確認，BNO簽證持有人將不受這項變動影響。

內政大臣發聲明後指，BNO簽證持有人申請定居時必須符合新的強制最低要求，包括英文水平達到B2級、無犯罪紀錄和沒拖欠政府債務。我們已獲內政部確認，BN(O)簽證持有人可獲豁免高於12,570英鎊的最低收入要求。

政府有就語言要求提供豁免安排。兒童、65歲以上人士，以及因身體或精神狀況而無法符合要求的人士可獲豁免。

然而，B2級英文水平要求或仍將對BNO港人社群帶來難以評估的影響。我們歡迎政府加入上述豁免安排，但仍擔憂部分港人根據舊有規定來到英國建立生活，可能仍難以符合新要求。我們會繼續與政府合作，跟進這些政策修訂實際上的操作。

香港監察政策及倡議總監Megan Khoo表示：

「經過一年多的持續倡議，我們樂見BNO簽證持有人將不受『賺取式定居』框架影響，包括最低收入要求，並繼續享有五年定居途徑。這對BNO港人社群來說無疑是重要的強心針，也是我們的國會議員盟友、內政部和港人社群的合作成果。

過去一年半以來，BNO港人、尋求庇護港人和港人難民一直被焦慮與不確定感籠罩。我們希望這些經釐清的細節能讓許多港人家庭如釋重負。我們會繼續密切關注新強制要求對社群的影響，並繼續敦促政府確保所有BNO港人都能獲得定居資格的保障，在英國建立新生活。」

Photo: Creative Dummy llc on Unsplash