It’s a good idea to give U.K. passports to Hong Kong citizens

Where will they live? What will they do for work? Already a housing crisis in the U.K., won’t This add further pressure. The U.K. has one of the largest population in Europe and we are only a small country, I think this country is too full already

Reply 1

Yazomi

Why specifically Hong Kong? There are other citizens from other country that can receive the British passport as well can’t they as long as they meet the criteria?

Reply 2

History98

Original post by Yazomi

Why specifically Hong Kong? There are other citizens from other country that can receive the British passport as well can’t they as long as they meet the criteria?

I think the OP is referring to the fact that Hong Kong (HK) BNO citizens and their families will from tomorrow (the 31st of January 2021) be able to come and settle permanently in the UK under a new visa stream. Irish and HK BNO citizens will effectively be the only two groups who will be able to settle in the UK without satisfying any other secondary requirements (e.g having a job offer, having a UK spouse etc). Around 70% of Hong Kong residents are eligible for the visa (main + dependents). The stream grants an initial 5 year limited leave to remain and after the 5 years they would be able to apply for settlement.

I have no issue with it personally as it is in response to the democratic decline in Hong Kong.

Reply 3

gortamdai

Original post by UnwashedMedia

How on earth can they even think about bringing these ****ers in during a pandemic?

Because this virus differentiates between white people travelling and importing thousands of non white immigrants.

Reply 4

fallen_acorns

as dramatic as things have been, I honestly can't see that many coming here.

Were not talking about opening up to a poor country where there will be countless people desperate for a better life. Hong Kong people live in a place that has an average wealth higher than ours, an amazing modern city, some of the best travel connections/educational facilities/resources in the world etc. I'm sure a small number will be interested, and I can see some young people using this to live abroad here for a few years, but your not going to get a mass amount of people settling. Not unless things really seriously deteriorated there, which despite the protests, its not in China's interest to let happen.

Also, with the pandemic, why the hell would people be desperate to leave somewhere that has handled it really well, with far less death, and far less economic fall out, for somewhere that's botched the lot, seen so many die, and is heading into economic disaster?

Reply 5

History98

Original post by fallen_acorns

Although you do not need a BNO passport to get a BNO visa, it is much more straight forward to prove your BNO status with a BNO passport than with other means. So given that, I think the amount of interest in getting a BNO passport provides a good indicator to how many people will seek to make a move to the UK. The BNO passport provides very little benefit other than making people eligible for this BNO visa. BNO passport holders have more than doubled since the announcement over the visa with over 350K new BNO passport holders as of NOV 2020 (total now over 730K). I doubt all of those will move to the UK but even if a modest proportion of those move that would be a significant number of people I think.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 6

Starship Trooper

Importing thousands of people who hate communism into the country no matter the cost?

Screw it, give labour a taste of their own medicine.

(Obviously Id prefer having little to no immigration but let's face it that isn't going to happen for now)

Reply 7

fallen_acorns

Original post by History98

730k is still less people holding BNO passports than in 2007.

It can't be used as an indicator of wanting to go to the UK. BNO passports were highly popular because they had practical advantages, and declined as SAR passports became equally advantageous. Now though with the current crisis+protests, and the increase in benefits of a BNO passport, obviously people are going to pragmatically choose them more. Hence why the Chinese government are countering this by refusing to recognize them, reducing the benefits of owning one.

None of that is an indicator that people will come though. In the same way that the number of British people holding EU passports, is no indicator of how many had any intention of moving to the EU. If you gave British people the choice (before leaving the EU) of an EU passport, and a British passport, with the major difference being that on one they had the possibility of living in any EU country, and on the other they didn't. Any rational person would choose the EU passport, even if they never intended on using it.

Reply 8

Napp

You do know giving someone the right to apply for a passport is not the same as either importing them straight into the country nor even ensuring they will get one?
The fact of the matter is most of the people who would be eligible (such as those with BNOP's) would have no particular intention of coming to the UK. It is the younger generation, those without any such right, who are looking to escape the tentacles of Beijing. At any rate, it is questionable many would even take up getting the passport, let alone actually emigrating.

Reply 9

History98

Original post by fallen_acorns

If the number of British people getting EU passports rises in similar proportions to what we are seeing in HK then I would also see it as a rough indicator telling me that some people may be planning moves to the continent. If the number of Brits in the UK holding EU passports doubled in a single year (like in HK) then then you wouldn't see it as an incredibly strong sign that more people are going to exercise the rights that come with those passports in the future?

Original post by Napp

I still think the sudden, sharp rise in passport holders is a rough indication. Over 350K in a single year, when the running average per year is a lot lower than that is still a rough indicator, even though most of those people will not be looking to make the move immediately and even though one does not necessarily need to even have a BNO passport to exercise their right to move.

Thousands of HK BNO nationals have already been admitted since Q3 2020 on discretionary grants (Leave outside the Immigration Rules) anyway, so data is already there to support large increases from HK. 7000 HK nationals and were admitted in 2020 on a LOTR basis (below), usually only around 20 HK nationals get leave outside the rules. So even over the pandemic, over a thousand HK nationals a month have been being admitted on this discretionary basis a month. This is in a year when non-EU work visa entrance clearance grants in general have fallen through the floor.

"We recognise that there may be a small number of BN(O) citizens who nonetheless wish to travel sooner. In these exceptional circumstances, Border Force Officers will be able to consider granting Leave Outside the Rules (‘LOTR’) for a period of six months to BN(O) citizens and their accompanying dependants at the UK border, if they do not satisfy Border Force that they are eligible for entry via another immigration route. It will still be open to Border Force Officers to refuse individuals entry to the UK where there is good reason to do so." - HO policy Statement

Obviously the only way we can know for sure what the true level for interest for this BNO visa is will be via the number of actual applications (applications open today), and the only way we can know for sure how many people will be come if through the number of exercised entry clearance grants. Without this information everything else is purely speculation with rough estimates using whatever indicators are available. BTW I never said everyone with a BNO passport will come. The visa opens today so at worst we should see data on BNO visa applications on the home office's Q1 migration statistics which should be released May 2021. The home office has said it has an estimate of between 123,000 and 153,700 (and 250K over 5 years). If even a small proportion of that estimate materialises then the number getting settlement in 5 years will far exceed the approx 150-250 per year we see today.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 10

username5252758

As someone who is pro-immigration, I don't have a problem with this.

Reply 11

History98

Original post by Calibrated.

As someone who is pro-immigration, I don't have a problem with this.

I don't really mind as well, in fact I am a migrant myself currently on a work visa, been here for almost 10 years.

Reply 12

JOSH4598

My view on all migrants is that so long as they have the capabilities to work and add value to the economy (and specifically not the shadow economy) then they should be permitted. If those coming from Hong Kong are in professional jobs and can easily find work here, then they should be able to come. They will inevitably contribute far more to Britain than some 'native' people do.

The issue most people have is the so-called economic migrants, who often enter the country illegally or overstay their visa, work in the shadow economy and contribute nothing then claim for asylum and try to fleece the welfare state in the name of 'human rights'. Those from Hong Kong will invariably not be doing that and will likely help the country prosper.