UK expands residency scheme to families of dead Hong Kong soldiers who served in army, including Gurkhas
- Requirements for children of ex-soldiers are too stringent, says Albert Lam, chairman of Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen’s Association
- New settlement route for Hong Kong veterans builds on existing one rolled out in 2009 for former Gurkhas
Britain has expanded a programme to allow the spouses and children of deceased Hong Kong soldiers who had served in its army, including Gurkhas, to settle in the UK, but a veterans’ association head on Wednesday criticised the criteria as too stringent.
The British Home office announced in March that Hongkongers who had served in the armed forces before the city was returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 would be allowed to live and work in the United Kingdom and become eligible for citizenship. Partners and children of ex-soldiers can also apply.
The scheme also covers Gurkhas, a long-standing Nepalese brigade that fought in missions across the British Empire from 1815, including in the city.
Last Thursday, authorities extended the programme to also cover the partners and children of deceased military personnel. New details of the requirements for all types of dependant applicants were also announced.
The Home Office said in March that about 1,000 people, including veterans and their dependants, were eligible for resettlement under the scheme. Authorities have not provided an estimate on the number of individuals who meet the requirements following the expansion of the programme.
Applications can be filed from the UK or overseas and ex-soldiers must have completed at least four years of continuous military service, according to the Home Office.
“If the applicant is applying as a bereaved partner, they must provide a death certificate for the Gurkha or Hong Kong military unit veteran,” it said, adding that the applicant must not have remarried.