The Chinese Embassy in London has denounced the British government for its British National Overseas (BNO) visa program, which contends that it amounts to unjustified interference in China’s internal affairs.
According to the CGNT report, the British Home Office recently introduced an express service for BNO visas within five working days that would cost 500 pounds, VisaGuide.World reports.
The BNO passport holders are eligible to apply for permanent residency after living in Britain for five years and, after a further year, file an application for British citizenship.
A spokesperson from the Chinese embassy told CGNT that the UK was not trying to protect the people of Hong Kong, as they described it, but to defame and discredit Hong Kong.
According to the spokesperson, some Hong Kong people, after reaching the UK, have been subject to poverty in life and discrimination in society.
“We urge the British side to stop their hypercritical performances and misleading the people of Hong Kong and stop their gross interference in China’s internal affairs,” the spokesperson pointed out.
In 2021, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that the country would no longer recognize the BNO passport and visa as a legal travel document and ID document. The decision was set to become effective on January 2021, while the same Ministry stressed that it reserves the right to take further actions.
Authorities in Britain have previously said that persons from Hong Kong are eligible to get a British National Overseas visa together with their family members.
The UK government, through a statement, clarifies that children of a British national aged 18 or older and born on or after July 1, 1997, are eligible to apply separately from their parents. It emphasized that their family members can also apply for such a visa.
“You can apply for the BNO visa from overseas, but you should wait for a decision on your application before you travel to the UK,” the statement reads.
However, the decision of China to introduce a national security law in June 2020 led Britain to offer refuge to nearly three million Hong Kong residents eligible for BNO passports starting from January 31.
In 2021, a report from Al Jazeera noted that a five-year visa would cost 250 pounds per person. But, a mandatory surcharge to access the UK’s state-run health service would run to 3,120 pounds per adult and a total of 2,350 pounds for those below the age of 18.
In December last year, it was reported that nearly 38,000 citizens of Hong Kong under the age of 18 filed an application for UK’s British National Overseas visa scheme, while the majority of them were residents in their prime working years.