Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are making available to immigrants from Hong Kong; and, in particular, those settling in London.

On 31 January, the UK launched a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) [BN(O)] status holders and their dependents and on 8 April, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a new UK-wide Welcome Programme to support Hong Kong BN(O) status holders with a package worth £43.1 million. Further detail on the announcement was published (attached) on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-welcome-for-hong-kong-arrivals

Alongside this announcement, a comprehensive Welcome Guide was published on GOV.UK for Hong Kong BN(O) status holders settling in the UK, in both English and Cantonese. Further information is available (attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/welcome-a-guide-for-hong-kong-british-national-overseas-visa-holders-in-the-uk

To co-ordinate support and offer practical advice to BN(O) status holders, MHCLG is working with Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) to establish a network of 12 Welcome Hubs across the UK including in London.