Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Rejected
Paragraph: 73
Assess young people affected and extend BN(O) visa route for eligible unregistered applicants
Recommendation
Young people who were eligible but too young to register themselves before handover on 1 July 1997 are being denied access to the Hong Kong BN(O) visa route because, for whatever reason, their parents failed to complete the process. The Government should assess how many young people are likely to have been affected and provide for an extension to the visa route for eligible young people to apply.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects assessing affected young people or extending the BN(O) visa route further, stating they have no plans to expand eligibility beyond adult children already in a BN(O) status holder's household, and point to alternative existing immigration routes.
Paragraph Reference:
73
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
3. The BN(O) route has been developed bearing in mind the moral and historic obligation the UK has to those who elected to retain ties to the UK by obtaining BN(O) status. This includes ensuring there are no barriers to any application to the route from a BN(O) status holder. The decision was subsequently made to ensure no family units would be split up because of this new route, including where there are children living in the same household as a BN(O) status holder who are over 18 but too young to have been eligible to obtain BN(O) status. As such, eligibility of a dependant on the route was expanded to include adult children who were born after 1 July 1997. We do not have any plans to expand the eligibility requirements for the BN(O) route to those outside the household of a BN(O) status holder, or change the requirements to enable applications from family members of a BN(O) status holder who does not wish to apply for the route. 4. Those who are not eligible for the BN(O) route because they do not hold BN(O) status, their parents do not hold BN(O) status, or their parents who have BN(O) status do not wish to apply for the route, can still apply to come to the UK through a number of different immigration routes. As you mention in your report, one option is the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) which offers 1,000 places each year from Hong Kong and enables individuals to work and study in the UK for two years. Those who wish to remain in the UK for longer can now apply to switch from the YMS into other categories such as the Skilled Worker route. For alternative routes to the UK, they can apply under the UK’s new Points Based System, which enables individuals to come to the UK in a wider range of professions and at a lower general salary threshold than in the past.