Nearly 65,000 Hongkongers have applied for BN(O) visa scheme so far amid exodus under national security law
- Official figures show that 47,300 applications were approved, with 71 per cent of those coming from outside Britain
- Activist group suggests that trend means London’s estimate of 100,000 in first year is ‘beginning to look conservative’
Of the applications approved so far, 35,000 – or 74 per cent – were filed overseas. There were 27,900 main applicants, with 19,400 dependants.
However, the number of applicants for the scheme from April to June – 30,600 – was down slightly from the 34,300 recorded in the first two months since its launch on January 31.
The figures revealed a trend towards an exodus of residents applying for the new visa, which Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor previously shrugged off, saying the city had a “prosperous future” ahead.
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BN(O) passport holders flee Hong Kong for new life in the UK, fearing Beijing’s tightening control
Britain launched the visa in response to Beijing’s imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong, one London said raised human rights concerns and constituted a “clear and serious breach” of the agreement under which the city was returned to China.