In recent years, thousands of Hongkongers have made the UK their home under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme, launched in 2021. Many have found welcome, friendship, and belonging within our church communities.
However, proposals in the recent Immigration White Paper may affect Hongkongers who have already arrived, as well as those yet to come. While the government has framed the changes as part of a wider immigration policy review, some proposals risk undermining the stability, security, and family unity that have been so important in helping Hongkongers settle and thrive in the UK.
The principal proposal is to extend the qualifying residency period for applying for British citizenship by five years, at a time when the first cohort of arrivals from Hong Kong were approaching the point when they would become eligible, with all the security, privileges and responsibilities that involves.
Senior representatives of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church have written jointly to the Home Secretary to raise urgent concerns about the impact of the Immigration White Paper on BNO visa holders, and to seek clarity.
A parliamentary debate has now been scheduled to be held on this issue on 8 September 2025. Ahead of the debate, JPIT has produced a toolkit to support people in raising the issue with MPs: