UK eases BN(O) visa barriers for Hong Kong protesters convicted over 2019 unrest
The UK government has confirmed that convictions linked to Hong Kong’s 2019 protests should generally not prevent otherwise eligible applicants from using the British National (Overseas) visa scheme, following reports that several convicted protesters had their applications rejected. In a letter on Wednesday to Alex Sobel, chairman of the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, Home…
The UK government has relaxed restrictions on British National (Overseas) visas for individuals convicted of crimes related to the 2019 Hong Kong protests, according to a letter sent to the chairman of the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that there will now be a "presumption in favour" of allowing otherwise eligible applicants to use the visa scheme, even if they have convictions from the protests.
The Home Office is establishing a formal process to identify and consider such cases consistently, with applicants who fail to meet the standard suitability requirements due to their involvement in the protests to be considered for "leave outside the immigration rules." While the government acknowledges the importance of the visa scheme for Hong Kong residents, it maintains that serious criminal behavior could still result in the refusal of an application.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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