Context:

A visa scheme to allow Hong Kong residents to come to the UK opened recently, with some 300,000 people expected to apply. The visa, which is open to holders of a British National (Overseas) passport and their immediate dependents, will offer a fast track to UK citizenship.

Background:

• 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 January 31. ” BNO is a special status created under British law in 1987 that specifically relates to Hong Kong.
• The scheme is also in a response to Beijing’s decision last year to impose a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, a former British colony, to snuff out huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.

One Country, two systems Agreement

• A former port city of the British Empire, Hong Kong was handed back to China under the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration(“1984 Joint Declaration”).
• The legally binding treaty sought to retain Hong Kong’s way of life, common law legal system, and capitalist economy, and guarantee its politico-economic status for 50 years from 1997.
• It was agreed that Hong Kong’s capitalist system, which was different from China’s communist model, would continue. It also meant Hong Kong has its own legal system and borders, and rights such as freedom of assembly, free speech, and freedom of the press are protected.
• But the UK says this agreement – known as the Joint Declaration – is under threat because the territory has passed a new law that gives China sweeping new controls over the people of Hong Kong.

The new law

• Under the special visa scheme, the visas will be issued to those in Hong Kong who hold a British National (Overseas) passport and their immediate dependents and will offer a fast track to UK citizenship.
• Applicants who get the visa can live and work in the UK for 5 years, after which they apply for settlement.
• Citizenship: Twelve months after this, they can apply for citizenship.

BNO Citizenship

• British National Overseas (BNO) citizenship is a type of British nationality created in 1985 that people in Hong Kong could apply for before the 1997 handover to China to retain a link with the UK.
• The lifelong status, which cannot be passed down to family members, did not give holders any special rights.