Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

China will no longer recognise British national overseas citizens

China will no longer recognise British national overseas citizens

Move comes after UK says people with status can move to Britain and eventually settle

China has announced it will no longer recognise the passports of British national overseas citizens just hours after the UK launched its scheme to give passport holders a path to residency as political freedoms decline in Hong Kong.

“From 31 January, China will no longer recognise the so-called BNO passport as a travel document and ID document, and reserves the right to take further actions,” the foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, told reporters, according to AFP.

It was still unclear whether or not the decision would affect the possibly tens of thousands of people who had been planning to leave Hong Kong since the scheme was announced last summer in response to national security legislation.

Hong Kong citizens and foreign residents are not required to show a passport when they depart Hong Kong international airport, instead using a smartcard ID.

Hong Kong’s web of nationalities may further complicate the matter as not all citizens hold Chinese passports, although all Hongkongers with historic familial ties to the mainland are considered Chinese citizens by Beijing. Hundreds of thousands of people, chief among them 300,000 Canadians and 100,000 Australians, are also dual citizens in addition to the city’s nearly 3 million BNO citizens.

This weekend, the BNO citizens will be able to begin applying to take their families to the UK when an immigration scheme goes online on Sunday in Hong Kong, followed by a smartphone app on 23 February.

On Friday, the British prime minister hailed the scheme, which offers a route to British citizenship, saying it honoured the UK’s commitment to its former citizens.

“I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BNOs to live, work and make their home in our country,” Boris Johnson said. “In doing so we have honoured our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy – values both the UK and Hong Kong hold dear.”

Under the scheme, the UK estimates nearly 3 million Hongkongers and their dependents will be eligible to move to Britain for five years and apply for full citizenship.

The BNO scheme was first announced in July as controversial national security legislation imposed by Beijing went into effect in Hong Kong, sharply curtailing political freedoms.It was soon followed by a wave of arrests of dozens of pro-democracy activists and politicians, including well-known names such as Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and the media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who has been charged under the new security law.

China says the path to citizenship is a violation of international law and interferes with its internal affairs.

The Hong Kong dissident Lam Wing-kee, who moved to Taiwan in 2019 and reopened his bookstore Causeway Bay Books last year, told the Guardian he thought the scheme would be of great use to young people, including those who had already moved to Taiwan.

“Taiwan is still influenced by China. They worry whether Taiwan is safe. So people in their 20s, many want a life, and they want work, my thinking is they would rather go to the UK than Taiwan,” he said.

Between January and November 2020, the number of Hong Kong residents in Taiwan grew by 85% according to Taiwan’s mainland affairs council, from about 5,000 to 9,500. While Taiwan is a democracy, Beijing’s Communist party considers the island part of its sovereignty territory and operates covert influence campaigns there.

The UK has said it was unclear how many BNO holders would make use of the scheme due to Covid-19. Applications for the visas open on Sunday followed by a digital version via smartphone app on 23 February.

The Home Office estimates, however, that between 123,000 and 153,700 Hongkongers and their families will use the scheme in the first year and up to 322,400 over the next five years, bringing in between £2.4bn and £2.9bn to the UK by 2025.

Michael Mo, a district councillor in the Tuen Mun area of Hong Kong, was concerned that Hongkongers faced potential risks applying in person at the UK’s two visa application centres, one of which is in the pro-Beijing North Point district on Hong Kong Island, and the other nearby in Quarry Bay.

“Consider the visa centre has no diplomatic immunity and the [Beijing]-backed national security office is just two subway stops away,” he said. “How could applicants feel safe getting there?”

With restrictions on public gatherings limited due to Covid regulations, he said Hongkongers may have difficulty queueing outside the office and might prefer to wait until the app was ready in February.

Since 2014’s “umbrella revolution”, thousands of ordinary Hongkongers have faced prosecution for their political activities, with a sharp increase following 2019’s wave of democracy protests. In the most recent case this week a 74-year-old activist, Koo Sze-yiu, received a four-month prison sentence on Thursday for desecrating the Hong Kong flag, according to the public broadcaster RTHK.

Hong Kong’s political prosecutions and security legislation have been scrutinised at home and abroad. The new security law also violates the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration between China and Hong Kong, the UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said last Friday.

The agreement laid out the terms for Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 after 150 years of colonial rule. Under an arrangement known as “one country, two systems” Hong Kong was promised semi-autonomy until 2047 and a level of political freedom not known on the mainland, but many believe that arrangement is largely over as Beijing continues to tighten the screws.

In addition to a crackdown on political dissent, more hardline mainland officials have recently arrived in Hong Kong, signalling more changes in the near future. Arrivals include a new anti-corruption chief, Shi Kehui, announced this week, and Xia Baolong, the new head of the Hong Kong and Macau affairs office installed last February, who is best known for demolishing underground churches elsewhere in China.

On Friday the Foreign Office said: “We are disappointed but not surprised by the Chinese decision not to recognise British national overseas passports.

“Despite China’s announcement, BNOs and their families will be able to use documentation other than BNO passports to take up this visa. People with BNO status now have a choice to come and live, work and study in the UK. We look forward to welcoming those who wish to settle here.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×