Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 1 July (HC Deb, col 329) that holders of a British National (Overseas) passport resident in Hong Kong are to be offered the chance to settle in the UK and apply for citizenship, whether that provision extends to Hong Kong Military Service Corps veterans and their families.

Following the imposition by the Chinese Government of a national security law on Hong Kong that restricts the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the UK Government has confirmed new immigration arrangements will be put in place for British Nationals (Overseas).

As announced by the Foreign Secretary on 1 July, a new bespoke immigration route will allow BN(O)s to apply to come to the UK without the current 6 month limit, granting them 5 years limited leave to remain, with the ability to live and work in the UK, after which they may apply for settled status and a year later citizenship. This is a special bespoke set of arrangements, developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to BN(O)s in Hong Kong.

Further details of the new immigration route will be announced in due course.