Britain opening citizenship path to HK residents in January 2021

Interior minister Priti Patel said Britain's route to citizenship for people in Hong Kong will open in Jan 2021. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON • Britain's route to citizenship for almost three million people in Hong Kong will open in January next year, and applicants will not need a job to come to the country, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said.

The British move comes after it declared that China had broken the terms of a 1984 handover treaty for its former colony by imposing a new national security law for Hong Kong.

"We are planning to open the Hong Kong BN(O) (British National Overseas) Visa for applications from January 2021," Ms Patel said yesterday in a written statement to Parliament. "There will be no skills tests or minimum income requirements, economic needs tests or caps on numbers. I am giving BN(O) citizens the opportunity to acquire full British citizenship.

"They do not need to have a job before coming to the UK - they can look for work once here. They may bring their immediate dependants, including non-BN(O) citizens."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 23, 2020, with the headline Britain opening citizenship path to HK residents in January 2021. Subscribe