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Written Question
Hong Kong: Asylum
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether Ministers in his Department have plans to meet with Hong Kong activists (a) Nathan Law, (b) Finn Lau and (c) Christopher Mung.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We will not tolerate any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK. Officials in Hong Kong, Beijing and London have raised the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties for these individuals with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December, the Hong Kong Police are deliberately targeting individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression. We have called for the repeal of the National Security Law and continue to make clear our strong objections, including to its extraterritorial reach. That extends to the decisions by the Hong Kong Police to issue arrest warrants and bounties for activists. We call on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law and end its persecution of political activists.


Written Question
Visas: British National (Overseas)
Wednesday 17th January 2024

Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to consider mitigating factors such as imprisonment under the National Security Law for Hong Kong citizens applying for British National (Overseas) visas.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Applicants to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route must have no serious criminal convictions, have not otherwise engaged in behaviour which the UK Government deems not conducive to the public good, or be subject to other general grounds for refusal set out in the Immigration Rules. However, we recognise that every case has its individual circumstances therefore caseworkers have flexibility to ensure that those who have custodial sentences for crimes which are not recognised as such in the UK are not automatically refused on the BN(O) route.

In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route. Recent changes ensure that a person who has been placed on immigration bail due to a pending asylum claim will not have their application to the BN(O) route refused solely for that reason. To make a successful application, applicants will need to meet all the other requirements of the route.


Written Question
Asylum: Hong Kong
Wednesday 17th January 2024

Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to allow Hong Kongers who are being processed as asylum seekers to apply for BNO visas at the same time.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Applicants to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route must have no serious criminal convictions, have not otherwise engaged in behaviour which the UK Government deems not conducive to the public good, or be subject to other general grounds for refusal set out in the Immigration Rules. However, we recognise that every case has its individual circumstances therefore caseworkers have flexibility to ensure that those who have custodial sentences for crimes which are not recognised as such in the UK are not automatically refused on the BN(O) route.

In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route. Recent changes ensure that a person who has been placed on immigration bail due to a pending asylum claim will not have their application to the BN(O) route refused solely for that reason. To make a successful application, applicants will need to meet all the other requirements of the route.


Written Question
Immigration: Hong Kong
Wednesday 17th January 2024

Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help protect Hong Kong (a) asylum seekers and (b) BNO visa holders who have settled in the UK from the Hong Kong authorities.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

The Government continually assesses potential threats in the UK, and takes protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously.

We will not tolerate any attempts by the authorities of Hong Kong or China, or any other country to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas. The UK will always defend the universal right to freedom of expression and stand up for those who are targeted.

DLUHC, Home Office and FCDO regularly engage with a wide range of British Nationals Overseas (BN(O)) community groups. While it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security and intelligence matters, where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.

Furthermore, The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.


Written Question
Asylum: Hong Kong
Wednesday 10th January 2024

Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what review his Department is undertaking of asylum applications by people from Hong Kong who have been involved in pro-democracy campaigns; and what his planned timescale is for that review.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it with half a million individuals on humanitarian routes since 2015. All asylum claims admitted to the UK asylum system receive careful consideration. We will not remove anyone to their own, or any other country, where they would face persecution or serious harm.

Asylum decision makers carefully consider each claimant’s protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information guidance. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance. This includes any claims received from people from Hong Kong.

Those from Hong Kong may also be eligible for the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route which was launched following China’s imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. To be eligible for the route, applicants must have BN(O) status, or be the eligible family member of someone with BN(O) status.

The Home Office is currently not undertaking a specific review into asylum applications by people from Hong Kong who have been involved in pro-democracy campaigns.


Written Question
Asylum: Hong Kong
Wednesday 20th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of asylum seekers from Hong Kong who have switched to British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa routes, and the way in which such applications have been handled, since they decided to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders to apply independently of their parent.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Those who apply to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route from overseas should not travel to the UK until they have received a decision on their application. Most individuals who hold a BN(O) or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport will be able to apply to the BN(O) route without needing to attend a visa application centre by using the UK Chip Checker smartphone application.

In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route, but all applications will need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements. The Home Office is aware of the issues some individuals have faced when switching into the BN(O) route since it was amended to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after the handover of Hong Kong to apply independently of their parent, and we are looking into these cases.

Recent published data shows that in Quarter 2 of 2023, 98.58% of leave to enter cases and 98.35% of leave to remain cases classed as straightforward were decided within the service standard of 12 weeks.

This can be found at the following link: Visas and citizenship data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office does not currently hold any publishable data on the longest outstanding case.


Written Question
Visas: British National (Overseas)
Wednesday 20th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the position of British National (Overseas) visa applicants who remain in Hong Kong while their application is considered.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Those who apply to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route from overseas should not travel to the UK until they have received a decision on their application. Most individuals who hold a BN(O) or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport will be able to apply to the BN(O) route without needing to attend a visa application centre by using the UK Chip Checker smartphone application.

In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route, but all applications will need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements. The Home Office is aware of the issues some individuals have faced when switching into the BN(O) route since it was amended to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after the handover of Hong Kong to apply independently of their parent, and we are looking into these cases.

Recent published data shows that in Quarter 2 of 2023, 98.58% of leave to enter cases and 98.35% of leave to remain cases classed as straightforward were decided within the service standard of 12 weeks.

This can be found at the following link: Visas and citizenship data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office does not currently hold any publishable data on the longest outstanding case.


Written Question
Visas: British National (Overseas)
Wednesday 20th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how long it takes on average to process a British National (Overseas) visa application and what is the longest outstanding application awaiting assessment.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Those who apply to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route from overseas should not travel to the UK until they have received a decision on their application. Most individuals who hold a BN(O) or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport will be able to apply to the BN(O) route without needing to attend a visa application centre by using the UK Chip Checker smartphone application.

In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route, but all applications will need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements. The Home Office is aware of the issues some individuals have faced when switching into the BN(O) route since it was amended to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after the handover of Hong Kong to apply independently of their parent, and we are looking into these cases.

Recent published data shows that in Quarter 2 of 2023, 98.58% of leave to enter cases and 98.35% of leave to remain cases classed as straightforward were decided within the service standard of 12 weeks.

This can be found at the following link: Visas and citizenship data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office does not currently hold any publishable data on the longest outstanding case.


Written Question
Asylum: Hong Kong
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people from Hong Kong with a pending asylum claim are allowed to transfer onto the British National (Overseas) visa scheme if they have become eligible since its expansion on 30 November 2022.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route. However, all applications need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements.


Written Question
Asylum: Hong Kong
Thursday 27th July 2023

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, given the recent arrest warrants and bounties for exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, what plans they have to expedite the asylum applications of former Hong Kong elected district councillors.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it. All asylum claims are considered on a case-by-case basis in line with published policy including those raised by Hong Kong nationals.