Government announces £43m support for families moving from Hong Kong to UK

The UK estimates over 300,000 Hongkongers will seek US visas in the next five years under a scheme that could grant them a route to full citizenship

File image: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law on Thursday announced that his asylum application has been approved by the UK (AFP via Getty Images)

The UK government on Thursday announced a £43m dedicated support package for families moving from Hong Kong which will focus on concerns such as housing, education and employment.

The announcement made by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that families coming from Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) passports will benefit from the fund designed to help them settle successfully into life in the UK.

The programme will help status holders access housing, work and educational support to ensure they are able to quickly integrate and contribute to their newfound communities, said a statement.

It said that the decision “delivers on the UK’s historic and moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up BN(O) status in 1997”.

“It provides them with a pathway to live in the UK should they choose to do so. BN(O) status holders have had their rights and freedoms restricted by the national security legislation imposed by the Chinese government and it is right that we change the entitlements in the UK which are attached to their status,” the statement said.

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Mr Jenrick said the programme will ensure BN(O) status holders and their families “have the very best start as soon as they arrive, and support to help them find a home, schools for their children, opportunity and prosperity.”

The announcement follows the creation of a new visa scheme in January 2021 that the UK said would give eligible Hongkongers a new route to full UK citizenship. It is estimated that almost three million residents of Hong Kong either hold or are eligible for the BN(O) document, having registered before the 1997 handover. The UK had said the new scheme could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependents.

Britain’s attempts to extend rights for BN(O) passport holders have irked Beijing, which retaliated by saying it would no longer recognise the documents. Earlier this month, it was reported that the Hong Kong government had also asked some foreign governments to stop accepting the special passports that some citizens use for working holiday visas in Europe, North America and parts of Asia.

Of the £43m, the statement said, “councils in England, who are already playing a key role to ensure BN(O) status holders are warmly welcomed and supported, will benefit from £30.7m to provide targeted support for new arrivals, covering additional English language and support with housing costs for those who need it.”

While £5.8m will be provided to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to deliver similar services.

According to the programme, £5m will be used to establish 12 virtual welcome hubs across every region in England, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to co-ordinate support and give practical advice and assistance in applying for school places, registering with doctors and even setting up businesses.

The UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel called it an “unprecedented and generous scheme.”

“There is no other visa in the world of this nature. We are working hard to successfully resettle people here … I know communities up and down our country will welcome new arrivals with open arms and support them to build a new life in the UK,” she said.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activist Nathan Law, who was elected as the youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong, welcomed the move, while also announcing on Thursday that he has had his application for asylum in the UK approved.

“It’s an excellent policy and dedication that [will] help many HKers (Hongkongers) to integrate into the UK community. We are grateful for these much need measures,” tweeted Law.

“I hope that my case can help the Home Office understand more about the complicated situation in Hong Kong. To free more protestors from Beijing’s authoritarian oppression, the Home Office could consider more comprehensive evidence when coping with Hong Kong cases,” he tweeted. 

Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 on the promise that its relative autonomy would be maintained, but it has been successively eroded in recent years and in 2020 Beijing introduced a strict national security law that lays emphasis on ensuring the loyalty of the city’s government, leaders and citizens to China.

According to the statement, as of 19 March 2021, approximately 27,000 BN(O) status holders and their family members had applied for a new UK visa since January 2021. The government’s assessment in October 2020 estimated that between 123,000-153,000 BN(O) status holders and their dependants could take up the route in its first year, with between 258,000-322,000 doing so over five years.