Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the criteria used to determine whether an extradition request from Hong Kong is politically motivated, particularly where charges are presented as criminal offences; and what safeguards are in place to prevent the authorities in Hong Kong from misusing criminal law as a means of targeting political opponents and seeking their extradition.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government remains resolutely committed to ensuring that no individual is extradited from the United Kingdom for politically motivated purposes, including in cases where charges are presented as criminal offences. The Extradition Act provides statutory safeguards and judicial oversight. It is for an independent UK court to determine whether any request for extradition is made for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing an individual on account of their political opinions, or whether if extradited they might be prejudiced at their trial or punished, detained or restricted in their personal liberty by reason of their political opinions and, if it is, there is a statutory bar to the extradition.
The extradition process under the Extradition Act 2003 affords judicial oversight and includes the protections in the European Convention on Human Rights. In all UK extradition proceedings, the court considers whether the requested person's extradition would be compatible with their human rights. These are defined as Convention rights within the meaning of the Human Rights Act 1998. The court must order the requested person's discharge from their extradition proceedings if extradition would not be compatible with their Convention rights.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of British Nationals (Overseas) visa holders on the white paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future. Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply and guidance is available to applicants to help them make their application.
We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to support British National (Overseas) visa holders who (a) have nearly reached the end of the five-year settlement period and (b) will be subject to the planned ten-year settlement period.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future. Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply and guidance is available to applicants to help them make their application.
We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that political activists, journalists and human rights defenders, including Jimmy Lai, are protected from politically motivated prosecution or extradition from Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government will never allow a situation where Hong Kongers or any other nationality is extradited for politically motivated purposes. UK courts have extensive powers under the Extradition Act 2003 to assess whether any individual extradition would be compatible with the requested person's human rights or if it is politically motivated. If a UK judge ever determines any extradition request is politically motivated, they have the power to bar extradition.
The 1997 UK-Hong Kong Extradition Treaty remains suspended and the government is updating Hong Kong's designation under the Extradition Act 2003 to reflect the absence of international extradition arrangements with the UK. This formalises the severing of ties between the British and Hong Kong extradition systems for the purposes of the Extradition Act.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a delay in settlement for British National (Overseas) child visa holders caused by a change from a 5+1 to a 10+1 route on access to (a) scholarships, (b) tuition support and (c) student finance.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders will be able to qualify for student finance, including tuition fee loans and maintenance loans, and home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. This is in line with most other persons on routes to settlement.
The Home Office has made clear that they will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details of the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged temporary immigration status on British National (Overseas) visa holders’ access to (a) employment, (b) housing and (c) credit.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.
I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members around these subjects in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on Indefinite Leave to Remain.
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.
We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 67436 on Immigration, when her Department plans to consult on the earned settlement scheme; and whether that consultation will include an assessment of the potential impact of that scheme on British National (Overseas) visa holders seeking indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.
I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members around these subjects in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on Indefinite Leave to Remain.
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.
We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to launch its consultation on changes to indefinite leave to remain for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holders; and how long her Department expects to run that consultation for.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.
I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members around these subjects in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on settlement.
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year, and the length of the consultation will be announced at that point. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.
We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has (a) made an assessment of the barriers faced by Hong Kong BNO visa holders in transferring professional qualifications into the British labour market and (b) issued guidance to employers on the employment rights of Hong Kong BNO visa holders.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Many British National Overseas (BNO) visa holders have professional qualifications. Recognition of overseas qualifications is determined by independent occupational regulators, many of which accept Hong Kong qualifications.
The recognition process can be challenging for BNO visa holders and refugees. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) developed the Regulated Professions Register, which Hongkongers can use to find information on entry requirements and regulators. DBT also published guidance on GOV.UK to support refugees, including those from Hong Kong, navigate the recognition process.
BNO visa holders have the right to work in the UK, and employer guidance on right to work checks is available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2025 to Question 52871 on Community Development: English Language, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing English language support to people in the UK in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The below answer refers to funding made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only. The provisions described are in addition to what other departments may offer.
Councils receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. Councils can use this funding flexibly which could include supporting guests to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. Homes for Ukraine funding allocations are published on gov.uk here.
The department provided £11.5 million of funding for English language courses and employment support for up to 12,500 Ukrainians across the UK through the ‘STEP Ukraine’ programme. The department has also allocated £3 million in grant funding to Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) in England to strengthen the capacity of ESOL teachers and expand community-based English language support for eligible Afghans, Ukrainians, and Hong Kong BN(O)s until March 2026. This builds on the £1 million SMP ESOL capacity grant delivered in 2023–24, which trained over 350 teachers and supported more than 2,500 resettled learners
The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Welcome Programme, which is in its fifth year of funding, provides demand led funding to councils in England which can be accessed to cover the costs of English language courses. In 2024-25, the department allocated £4.5 million to councils. Continued funding is available in 2025-26.