Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers have been granted permanent residence in the UK under a bespoke British immigration pathway launched in January 2021, making them eligible to apply for citizenship next year.
“Since the scheme began, there have been a total of 9,804 grants of settlement to individuals whose most recent leave was on the BN(O) route, with 8,682 grants issued over the latest 12-month period [ending March 2026],” the UK Home Office said on Thursday when releasing quarterly immigration statistics.
“Some individuals may be qualifying earlier, where time spent on other eligible visa routes, before moving onto the BN(O) route, counts towards their five-year residence period,” the Home Office added.
If BN(O) visa holders have lived in the UK for five years, they can apply to stay permanently under a status known as “indefinite leave to remain”. This give them the right to live, work and study there for as long as they like and to access government benefits if they are eligible. They can then apply for British citizenship after a year.
