Hong Kong British National (Overseas)
BN(O) Status Holder Visa & BN(O) Household Member Visa
Are you eligible?
BN(O) status is a form of British nationality created for people from Hong Kong so they could retain ties to the UK after Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. In 2020, the Chinese government imposed a national security law on Hong Kong, restricting the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration 1984 which set the conditions under which Hong Kong would be governed after its transfer to Chinese control. In response, the UK government introduced the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route to provide the opportunity for BN(O) status holders and certain family members to live, work, and study in the UK, on a pathway to unrestricted British citizenship.
Since 31 January 2021, there have been two separate BN(O) migration routes. Firstly, there is the BN(O) Status Holder route. Secondly, there is the BN(O) Household Member route. In October 2020 it was estimated that there were 2.9 million BN(O) status holders eligible to move to the UK, with a further estimated 2.3 million eligible dependants. It is important to note that no one born on or after 1 July 1997 can be a BN(O). Registration for BN(O) status was a time limited offer and BN(O) status cannot be passed down to future generations.
Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa
The BN(O) Status Holder route is for British National (Overseas) citizens who are ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, the UK or the Crown Dependencies. The dependant partner or spouse and children and grandchildren under the age of 18 of the BN(O) status holder can also apply. So can the children and grandchildren under the age of 18 of the partner of a BN(O) status holder. In exceptional circumstances, other family members aged 18 or over may be able apply (these are parent, grandparent, brother, sister, son, or daughter), but only if they live with the BN(O) status holder and are highly dependant on them for their care. Family members can be of any nationality.
Main Requirements for a Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa
- You must be at least 18 years old;
- You must be a British National (Overseas) status holder under the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986;
- You must be ordinarily resident in Hong Kong (if applying to enter the UK) or the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man or Hong Kong (if applying for permission to stay);
- You must be able to adequately accommodate and support yourself in the UK without recourse to public funds for at least 6 months;
- Your application must not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal;
- You must provide a valid tuberculosis certificate, if required.
Duration of Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa
Successful BN(O) Status Holder Visa applicants are able to enter or remain in the UK for a period of either 2.5 years or 5 years, depending on the period of leave applied for.
Settlement under the Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa route
After 5 continuous years residence in the UK, you will be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain. If you have previously spent time in the UK with a different type of visa under which a person can apply for settlement, that leave can be combined with time spent in the UK under the Hong Kong BN(O) route. You will also need to have spent not more than 180 days outside the UK in any of the previous 5 years and, if you are aged under 65, have passed tests to demonstrate you have satisfactory knowledge of the English language and Life in the UK.
British citizenship under the Hong Kong BN(O) Status Holder Visa route
You can apply to register as a British citizen after having held indefinite leave to remain in the UK for 1 year. The residency requirements for British citizenship are stricter than the residency requirements for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. You will need to have spent not more than 450 days outside the UK in any of the previous 5 years and no more than 90 days outside the UK in the previous 12 months.
Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Visa
The BN(O) Household Member route is for adult children aged 18 or over, born on or after 1 July 1997, of a BN(O) status holder or the adult children of the partner of a BN(O) status holder.
There are some key differences to the eligibility requirements and to the types of dependants the Household Member can bring. This is determined by whether the individual’s parent is a BN(O) status holder or the partner of a BN(O) status holder.
The adult child of a BN(O) status holder can apply on the route regardless of whether their parent who holds BN(O) status has made an application or been granted permission on the route. Their partner, children aged under 18 and their Adult Dependant Relatives can also apply on the route, and can apply at the same time as the adult child or at a later date.
The adult child of the partner of a BN(O) status holder must form part of the same household as the BN(O) status holder and be applying at the same time as them. Their partner and children aged under 18 who form part of the same household as the BN(O) status holder can also apply, provided they do so at the same time as the BN(O) status holder.
Main Requirements for a Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Visa
- You must be the adult child of a BN(O) status holder or the adult child of a person who has been granted permission as the partner of a BN(O) status holder;
- You must be ordinarily resident in Hong Kong (if applying to enter the UK) or the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man or Hong Kong (if applying for permission to stay);
- You must be able to adequately accommodate and support yourself in the UK without recourse to public funds for at least 6 months;
- Your application must not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal;
- You must provide a valid tuberculosis certificate, if required.
Duration of Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Visa
Those applicants who do not already have permission on the Hong Kong BN(O) route are granted permission which ends at the same time as the permission of the BN(O) status holder who is part of their household. Those applicants who already have permission on the Hong Kong BN(O) route are able to enter or remain in the UK for a period of either 2.5 years or 5 years, depending on the period of leave applied for.
Settlement under the Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Visa route
After 5 continuous years residence in the UK, you will be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain. If you have previously spent time in the UK with a different type of visa under which a person can apply for settlement, that leave can be combined with time spent in the UK under the Hong Kong BN(O) route. You will also need to have spent not more than 180 days outside the UK in any of the previous 5 years and, if you are aged under 65, have passed tests to demonstrate you have satisfactory knowledge of the English language and Life in the UK.
British citizenship under the Hong Kong BN(O) Household Member Visa route
BN(O) Household Members can apply to register as a British citizen after having held indefinite leave to remain in the UK for 1 year. The residency requirements for British citizenship are stricter than the residency requirements for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. You will need to have spent not more than 450 days outside the UK in any of the previous 5 years and no more than 90 days outside the UK in the previous 12 months.