Hong Kong migrants in UK face uncertainty over possible 10-year residency rule

LONDON: When Simon Ho moved from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in 2021 with his wife and two sons, he believed he would be able to apply for permanent residency in 2026. 

Now, that goal may be slipping further away.

The UK’s Labour government is debating whether to double the number of years migrants must live in the country before they can apply for permanent residency – known as “indefinite leave to remain” – from the current five years to 10.

The move is part of a wider plan to tighten immigration laws in the UK.

For Ho, the proposed change could mean added financial strain and a longer wait to access his pension back home – another hurdle to starting a new life in Britain.

“I had to leave Hong Kong. I have to find some place to live. We don't intentionally want to do it. It is forced,” he said.

“MOVING THE GOALPOSTS”

In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests.

Chinese authorities say the law has restored stability to the city, but critics argue it has been used to silence dissent.

At the time, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government responded by offering Hong Kongers British National (Overseas) – or BN(O) – status and their families a visa in 2021.

This included a route to permanent residency and eventual citizenship within six years.

Since then, more than 160,000 Hong Kongers, including Ho and his family, have arrived in Britain under the scheme, according to figures released by the UK’s Home Office earlier this year.

While the UK government said it is consulting on whether BN(O) holders will be included in the changes to residency rules, the lack of certainty has left many feeling unsettled.

At a recent Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in the south London suburb of Sutton, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Luke Taylor sought to reassure constituents that he would continue to lobby the government on their behalf.

“What the biggest problem is, it's moving the goalposts for those who are already on the scheme, who've made plans with their children, (who) know currently when they're going to get access to home fees for university, for example,” Taylor pointed out.

“They know when they're going to be able to settle down longer term. This risks unsettling them.”

Sutton Councillor Richard Choi, who has been campaigning for Hong Kongers to be exempt from the change, called it a matter of moral responsibility.

“It is a moral lifeline for Hong Kongers to move to the UK, and so we shouldn't see that as a regular immigration rule. It’s a moral promise from the UK government,” he said.

WIDER IMPACT

The continuing immigration shakeup extends beyond the Hong Kong community.

The Labour government has ended overseas recruitment of social care workers, and migrants on skilled worker visas could also face a 10-year wait to settle in the UK.

Christanghelo Godino, campaigns and advocacy officer at Kanlungan, a charity supporting Filipinos in the UK, warned that the government’s proposal could push away much-needed foreign health workers.

“Filipino nurses differentiate the life of nurses in the US or nurses in the UK – which is a better place to go to,” he noted.

“With these restrictive measures, we would see more Filipino workers think about where they would reside and where they would work.”

Despite the unease, Ho said he remains committed to building a life in the UK. But he also hopes the government will honour its initial promise, and allow families like his to finally settle into their new home.