^{Updated: 24 November 2020}

You can apply for the Hong Kong BNO Visa online from anywhere in the world. 

There will be no English language requirement, no interview, and you will not need to send in physical documents. But remember, the UK government does of course have the right to refuse your application.

Successful applicants will get a digital visa.

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“5 years” or “30 months+30 months”? ⦁ 申請分兩次30個月逗留還是一次過5年

There are 2 types of Leave to Remain that BNO citizens can choose from. 

The first one is for 5 years’ leave. This will likely be cheaper, but you have to pay the fee in one go. 

The second option is 30 months + 30 months. This means apply and pay for a visa for 30 months’ leave first, then pay for a second application when you renew for another 30 months. 

Everyone’s circumstance is different. The option you take may also depend on your budget for this big move to the UK. 

The cost of the visa ⦁ 簽證費用

The 5 year visa will cost £250 per person and the 30 month visa will be £180 per person.

Remember, on top of the visa fee, you also have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Without paying the IHS you cannot use the National Health Service (NHS). 

The IHS is charged per person and per year, so the bigger your family, the higher the total charge will be.

Since the Hong Kong BNO Visa will only be open for application from January 2021, the IHS then will be at £624/person for one year. Therefore, if applying for 5 years’ leave, you will pay £3,120 for one person, excluding the visa.

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You need to prove… ⦁ 預備你要證明嘅嘢

Applicants and their dependants have to prove:

1. They are ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.
2. They hold BNO status. You don’t need a valid BNO passport to apply but if you have a valid BNO passport this is simple. If it is lost or expired the UK government has said that eligibility checks can be made using historical records held by Her Majesty’s Passport Office. Even so, you should keep any expired passports safe and have them handy when applying online.
3. They can accommodate and support themselves in the UK for 6 months. Have a think about the cost of accommodation and living for 6 months because you will have to prove you already have, or could probably earn, enough money to cover this. You may have to show bank statements.
4. They are willing to learn English. To apply for the visa there is no English language requirement. However, they will have to prove their knowledge of the English language when going through Step 3 and/or 4. Applicants with poor English will be expected to learn and a commitment to do this will be required.
5. They have a tuberculosis test certificate. This has to come from a clinic approved by the Home Office. In Hong Kong, you will have to get this certificate from these 5 clinics. 
6. They have no serious criminal convictions.

Read how a UK immigration lawyer interprets this here.

Can my family apply? ⦁ 我可以幫家人（父母，祖父母，親戚）申請嗎

BNO citizens with their family dependants are eligible for the visa application as a family unit. Family dependants are: 

A dependant can be:

• Your spouse or civil partner, with marriage or civil partnership certificate
• An unmarried partner, with evidence of living together for at least 2 years
• Child or adult child (born on or after 1 July 1997), with birth certificate, adoption certificate or court order
• The partner or child of an adult child (born on or after 1 July 1997) on the basis of the same kinds of evidence above
• Other family members with ‘a high level of dependency’.

The applicant’s parents, grandparents and other relatives are not considered dependants if they are not BNO citizens themselves. But on a case by case basis the UK government may consider granting them a visa. Read how a UK immigration lawyer interprets this here.

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This post is part of a series  ⦁ 移民英國四部曲 Step 1: Apply for the Hong Kong BNO Visa  Step 2: Limited leave to remain for 5 years Step 3 and Step 4: Settled status/British citizenship  Coming here on “Leave Outside the Rules”

_{Image: Eva Dang on Unsplash}