Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people from Hong Kong on a British National (Overseas) visa are permitted to referee sport at an amateur level.

Holders of a Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa can work in virtually any capacity in the UK, with the exception of being employed as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

This Government does not restrict anyone taking part in recreational sport as an amateur. ‘Amateur’ is defined in the Immigration Rules as “a person who engages in a sport or creative activity solely for personal enjoyment and who is not seeking to derive a living from the activity.”

However, if an individual meets any of the indicators listed in the definition of ‘Professional Sportsperson’ in the Immigration Rules, they are classified as such, and if the restriction on work as a professional sportsperson is present in their visa conditions, they would therefore be breaching the terms of their visa.