A new immigration route has opened up, allowing British nationals to apply for a British National Overseas visa and over 70% of Hong Kong's population of 75 million are applicable to apply. The scheme was launched Sunday and now potentially offers millions of Hong Kong residents a pathway to British citizenship where settlement after 5 years will be made available for those who meet the requirements, following British Citizenship 12 months after settlement is granted. Those with a British National Overseas passport will be able to apply, alongside their dependents to allow them to live, work and study in the UK. The process entails making an application online and booking an appointment at a UKVAS centre if applying in the UK or at a visa application centre if applying from outside the UK.
The immigration scheme was set up as a reaction to Beijing's order of national security law last year. As a response now, China and Hong Kong have said that British National Overseas passports will no longer be recognised. It is now predicted that over 300,000 people from Hong Kong could arrive in the next 5 years.
