Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Deferred
Paragraph: 119
Ensure robust plan for integration and employment support for arriving BN(O) visa holders.
Recommendation
Integration support for newly arriving Hong Kongers is essential. The Government must ensure there is a robust plan for integration and employment support for BN(O) visa holders arriving to live in the UK. In January we heard significant concerns from witnesses about a lack of awareness and understanding by local authorities of the existence and role of the Hong Kong BN(O) visa route, and its potential consequences in terms of settlement patterns. Following this evidence, we welcome the Government’s recent efforts to set out further action on local support and integration.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government discusses the setting of visa, immigration, and citizenship fees, which is unrelated to the recommendation for a robust plan for integration and employment support for BN(O) visa holders.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
119
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
29. In April, the MHCLG launched a new UK-wide Welcome Programme to support BN(O) status holders with a package worth £43.1 million with the following components: Over £30 million will be available to local authorities in England to provide targeted English language provision and where needed destitution support. MHCLG will establish 12 Welcome Hubs which will work with local partners to co-ordinate support and offer practical advice. These hubs are being established using the existing Strategic Migration Partnership network (which is funded by the Home Office). Welcome Hubs in England will be allocated a share of over £5 million for funding regional voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) activity to provide locally bespoke support to help BN(O) status holders settle into their new communities and understand the services available to them. We are also expecting the Welcome Hubs to work with partners to tackle hate crime; therefore, an additional £300,000 will be available to address BN(O)-related hate crime in 2021–22 should it be needed. In addition to the above funding for regional VCSE projects, there will be a grant scheme of £985,000 for national VCSE projects to support employment, mental health and wellbeing. We will work with resident communities and VCSE partners to develop dedicated Hong Kong educational resources for schools, so they can teach young people about our historic connection and commitment to Hong Kong and its people, and celebrate the contribution of the Hong Kong-British and Chinese-British diaspora to the UK. A comprehensive Welcome Guide on GOV.UK for Hong Kong BN(O)s settling in the UK was published in April, in English and Cantonese. This pack was updated on 8 July to further refine it for BN(O)s’ needs. 30. We expect to have the 12 Welcome Hubs operational by the end of the summer, and on 29 July, we published prospectuses for the funding available for regional and national VCSE projects, hate crime reporting service, and educational resources. We are aiming for grant awards to be made in the autumn and for delivery to commence soon after. We are also issuing guidance to local authorities in England on arrangements for claiming the cost of English language provision and destitution support. 31. The MHCLG has also created a new Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) with representatives from all relevant Government departments, which is chaired by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to enable us to quickly address any challenges the BN(O) community or local areas face. To support the IMG, the MHCLG created the Hong Kong BN(O) Taskforce, comprised of local authority and civil society representatives and representatives of the BN(O) community, to identify any barriers to local delivery and challenges the BN(O) community are facing.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗