LONDON, Feb 9 - The British government said it will broaden the eligibility for a visa pathway designed for people leaving Hong Kong, following the sentencing of prominent China critic Jimmy Lai to 20 years behind bars.
The expansion specifically opens the route to additional younger people, allowing children who held British National (Overseas) status at the time of the 1997 handover to accompany their families and live in the UK. Under the prior rules, those children could not apply independently from their parents.
Officials framed the policy shift as honouring a moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. The government also said it sees the sentencing of Lai - a 78-year-old who holds British citizenship and is a well-known democracy campaigner - as a factor in its response.
UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper has urged that Lai be released on humanitarian grounds. In announcing the visa changes, Britain reiterated its assessment that there has been a continuing deterioration of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and said it will pursue further engagement with the Chinese government over Lai's case in the wake of the sentence.
The government estimates that roughly 26,000 people will arrive in the United Kingdom over the next five years via the expanded route. That projection sits alongside the larger figure of more than 170,000 people who have relocated from Hong Kong to Britain since 2021 under a special visa programme established in response to a crackdown on dissent in the city.
Applicants for the expanded route must still satisfy other suitability and eligibility requirements. They are required to pay the relevant application fees and the immigration health surcharge as part of the immigration process.
Context and next steps
London said the change will enable families to settle together where children had BN(O) status at the moment of the 1997 handover. The government also indicated it will continue diplomatic engagement with Chinese authorities regarding the case of Jimmy Lai following his sentencing.
The policy announcement did not alter the existing requirement that applicants meet suitability and eligibility criteria, including payment obligations tied to the application and health surcharge.