BN(O) scheme: London mayor underlines support for Hong Kong people who move to the capital
- Mayor of London Sadiq Khan reaffirms commitment to Hongkongers in the UK
- More than £200,000 allocated to support Hong Kong people who have settled in London
The mayor of London has reaffirmed his support for Hongkongers arriving in the British capital on the second anniversary of the imposition of the national security law.
Sadiq Khan on Thursday said he was committed to helping people who had chosen to make London their home and that funding had been allocated to several local authorities in the city and Hong Kong-led civil society groups.
He added that about 35,000 Hongkongers had settled in London since January last year, when the British National (Overseas) visa, a new pathway to citizenship in the United Kingdom, was introduced and more were expected to make the move.
“It’s been two years since China took the devastating decision to curtail the rights and political freedoms of Hongkongers,” Khan said.
“The UK has a historical and moral obligation to the people of Hong Kong, who have put their lives on the line to stand up for democracy and freedom of speech.
“I’m committed to doing all I can to ensure Hongkongers settling in London feel welcomed.”
About 123,400 Hongkongers had applied for the visa scheme up to the end of March according to British government figures, with 92 per cent of them – 113,742 people – having been approved.
More young Hongkongers will be eligible to move to the UK under the expanded BN(O) visa route from October, which will allow individuals born on or after July 1, 1998, and who have one BN(O) parent to independently apply for the visa.
City Hall in London said more than £200,000 (US$243,176) had been granted under the Local Welcome Hong Kong Fund to eight local authorities in the city to coordinate support and give practical advice and assistance to new arrivals.
The cash will be used to support mental health and well-being, help with access to immigration and social welfare advice and improve the coordination of local services to better meet the needs of Hongkongers.
Local authorities in London also said they had funded 12 civil society groups through the Welcoming Hongkongers Small Grants Programme for grassroots organisations to help people from Hong Kong “integrate and build a sense of belonging” in their new home.
The programme will also offer help with funding English language lessons, assist access to further and higher education and provide information on starting a business.
“To further help new arrivals feel supported, Sadiq recently launched The Migrant Londoners Hub, which contains a wealth of information about the rights, entitlements and services available to Hongkongers,” City Hall added.
Britain launched the visa scheme in response to Beijing’s imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong.
The UK authorities said the national security law was a “clear and serious breach” of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that set the conditions for Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule.
Beijing has previously accused the UK’s visa scheme of breaching the joint declaration and basic principles of international relations and threatened to withdraw recognition of the BN(O) passport in retaliation.
More countries have stepped in to offer routes to residence for Hongkongers with an eye on an exit from the city since the introduction of the BN(O) scheme.
Mainland China introduced the sweeping national security legislation in June 2020 in the wake of the 2019 anti-government protests.
The law bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers.
