"Nathan Law, a former Hong Kong politician who arrived in the UK in 2020 and has a bounty on his head, said that the government should reflect on its moral obligations when enacting its increase of the standard qualifying period for permanent residence to a decade. He said the proposed change in asylum laws was creating fresh anxiety and uncertainty for Hongkongers forced to flee their homes."
"The current five-year wait for leave to remain will not be affected for those and their dependants born before 1 July 1997 in Hong Kong who registered for British national overseas (BNO) status. Law, who was born on mainland China, said there remained an anxious cohort of people without BNO status who have been forced to leave their homes owing to political persecution and that Britain's moral obligation extended to all of them."
"The changes to the asylum laws are part of what Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has described as plans to make Britain's settlement rules by far the most controlled and selective in Europe. There is an ongoing internal government debate about whether the more restrictive requirements will apply to those who are already in the UK, or only those arriving in future."
The UK plans to increase the standard qualifying period for permanent residence to ten years, raising concerns about commitments to people from Hong Kong. Proposed asylum-law changes are creating fresh anxiety and uncertainty for Hongkongers forced to flee after political shifts following the 1997 handover. The existing five-year wait for leave to remain remains for those and their dependants born before 1 July 1997 who registered for British national overseas (BNO) status. A cohort without BNO status faces continued insecurity and potential exclusion. The government is debating whether stricter requirements will apply retrospectively or only to future arrivals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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