Nearly a third of 142,000 Hongkongers who have applied for BN(O) visa that leads to British citizenship are under 18, while those aged 25 to 54 make up the majority.
Between January 31, 2021, when the pathway opened and June 30 this year, 38,600 applications for the British National (Overseas) visa were from Hongkongers under 18, of which just 16 per cent were filed from Britain, according to figures from the UK Home Office.
Hongkongers aged 35 to 44 made up the next biggest group at 32,600, with 13 per cent of those applications made inside the country. The third-largest demographic consisted of those aged 45 to 54, who made 27,800 applications, of which 14 per cent were filed in Britain.
Hongkongers aged 25 to 54 made up 55 per cent – or 78,100 applications – of those applying for the special visa.
As of June, a total of 133,124 Hongkongers have been approved for the citizenship route since the scheme was launched.
An estimated 5.4 million of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents are eligible for the pathway, which allows successful applicants and their dependants to live, work, and study in Britain for up to five years, after which they can apply for citizenship.
Immigration consultants said the data confirmed what they were witnessing in person, which was Hongkongers aged between 30 and 50 years old were planning to emigrate so their children could study in Britain, with fewer elderly people moving with their family members.
Willis Fu Yiu-wai, a senior immigration consultant at Goldmax Associates, said his company usually handled families who planned to move together.
“The major purpose of the [applications] is to plan for a brighter future for the next generation, that is their children,” he said.
Margaret Szeto, founder of migration consultation company Aura Global, agreed many parents were motivated to ensure their children could study in the UK under the benefits of the BN(O) scheme.
With Hongkongers aged 18 to 24 making up one of the smallest groups, at 6,100 applications, Szeto said young people were choosing to take other migration routes provided by countries, such as Canada, which unveiled two new paths to permanent residency last June.
“They only have to work in Canada for one year before they can obtain permanent residence status, which is faster than the six years required for a BN(O) visa,” Szeto noted.
Source:
Comments by British Council Hong Kong
Quantitative data gathered by the Hong Kong Government indicates that year on year between April 2021 and April 2022 there has been an 11 per cent decline in the 20-24 age group and a 7 per cent decline in the number of children aged between 0 and 9 years old because of outward migration from the territory. Preliminary research by the British Council Hong Kong Teaching Centre marketing team indicates that the British Council’s key demographic of middle class, middle income Hong Kongers has experienced far higher rates of decline in numbers than the rest of the population. Some primary and secondary schools which are favoured by this key demographic have seen a 25 per cent decline in their student population in the period since the BN(O) visa scheme was introduced. This is compounded by the declining birthrate which has been a long-term trend in the territory.
Hong Kong’s tertiary education sector does not have the capacity to produce the number of skilled people the territory requires to maintain its position as a key player in the global economy. In 2022, for example, more than 38,000 school leavers applied for 15,800 places on first year undergraduate courses offered by the Hong Kong HE sector. This was the lowest number of applicants since 2012. That said, there is still high demand for international university places from Hong Kong and between 45 and 50 per cent of school leavers apply to study overseas each year. Even with a declining population, the demand from Hong Kong for places at HEIs overseas is likely to continue, though the competition from other markets, such as Canada and Australia, is fierce, especially for Canada, which offer a much shorter route to Hong Kong teenagers for permanent residence status. Good news is the UK plans to extend the BN(O) visa scheme later this month to allow Hongkongers born on or after July 1, 1997, who have at least one parent with BN(O) status to apply independently to settle in the country, it may attract more teenagers to consider studying and living in the UK. Our expectation, though, is that the UK market share will stabilize but it is not likely to grow in the next few years.