The United Kingdom’s government has announced that the applications for the Hong Kong BN(O) visa will open on January 31, 2021.
According to the statement published by the UK’s government, British Overseas Nationals will be eligible to enter the United Kingdom’s territory for different purposes, VisaGuide.World reports.
Authorities in Britain have noted that British Overseas citizens will have the right to work in every position that consists of the UK employment laws.
“The imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong marked a clear erosion of the rights and freedoms for the people of this city. This new route to the UK is part of our commitment to the people of Hong Kong. The UK is ready to welcome BN(O) citizens and their dependents to the United Kingdom,” the British Consul-General to Hong Kong, Andrew Heyn, pointed out.
The British National Overseas visa allows overseas residents in Hong Kong together with their immediate family members to move to the United Kingdom to live, work or study.
According to the latest statement of the United Kingdom’s government, the cost of a visa is set to be lower in comparison to other UK visas. A permit which will be given for a five-year period will cost £250 per person, while a 30-month visa will cost £180 per person.
However, BN(O) citizens will be required to pay immigration health surcharge in order to receive access to the National Health Service in Britain. They must also show that they are financially able to support themselves as well as their dependents, for at least six months in Britain.
Even though the UK has given more options and details regarding the BN(O) visa, China may not recognize such a visa.
The concerns have been raised after China’s Foreign Ministry highlighted on Friday that it might not recognize this kind of visa as, according to them, Britain had violated its promises regarding the issue of the British National (Overseas) passports.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stressed that the UK played up the issue of the BN (O) passports.
“La parte británica violó sus promesas, insistió en seguir su camino y repetidamente jugó con el tema de los pasaportes BNO”, enfatizó Zhao en un anuncio.
Según las cifras del Reino Unido, hasta 300.000 de los 7 millones de residentes de Hong Kong tienen pasaportes BNO. Las estadísticas son más del doble del número, en comparación con las cifras de cuatro años antes.
En julio, el gobierno del Reino Unido reveló otros detalles sobre la visa BN(O) de Hong Kong.
La visa BN(O) sigue varios otros cambios introducidos por las autoridades del Reino Unido en su sistema de visas, incluido el Sistema basado en puntos y los cambios que los ciudadanos de la UE deberán seguir después del 31 de diciembre para mudarse al Reino Unido para vivir, estudiar , trabajar o jubilarse.
A principios de este mes, las autoridades de Gran Bretaña también aclararon el procedimiento que los ciudadanos de 26 Estados miembros de la Unión Europea tendrían que seguir, después del 31 de enero, para completar sus estudios en el Reino Unido. Los estudiantes irlandeses serán los únicos excluidos de los requisitos de visa.