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BRITAIN: After five years ban, Britain has opened a visa citizenship scheme for Hong Kong residents to become citizens after Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in the Asian financial hub in 2020.
According to the scheme, anyone with a British National (Overseas) passport and their dependents will be able to apply online for a visa allowing them to live and work in the United Kingdom from Sunday afternoon (January 31).
The immigration scheme is a response to Beijing’s decision in 2020 to compel a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong to snuff out huge and often violent democracy protests.
The move comes as China and Hong Kong have said they will no longer recognize the British National Overseas (BNO) passport as a valid travel document from Sunday, January 31.
Britain and China have been arguing for months about what London and Washington say is an attempt to silence dissent in Hong Kong after pro-democracy protests in 2019 and 2020.
The UK government estimates the new visa could attract more than 350,000 people and their dependents to Britain. Beijing said it would make them second-class citizens.
The scheme, which was first announced last year, permits those with BNO status to live, study and work in Britain for five years and eventually apply for citizenship.
BNO is a special status created under British law in 1987 that specifically relates to Hong Kong. China says the West’s views on its actions over Hong Kong are clouded by misinformation and an imperial handover.