Keep promises to Hong Kongers demands Bobby Dean MP

Bobby Dean MP (Lib Dem, Carshalton and Wallington) has called on the Government to honour its commitments to Hong Kongers who came to the UK under the British National Overseas (BNO) visa scheme.

The BNO status, granted to some Hong Kong residents, was used to help people flee the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.

However, the Government has recently announced plans to change the immigration system so that the pathway to British citizenship is extended from five to ten years.

Around 5,000 Hong Kongers now live in the London Borough of Sutton, many of whom will be directly affected by the change.

Bobby Dean MP is the Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong and a long-term champion for the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers.

Speaking in Parliament during a debate triggered by a petition with over 100,000 signatures, Bobby urged ministers to stand by their original commitment of five years:
 “To extend the pathway to 10 years would be a betrayal of trust. The change would have damaging consequences: young Hongkongers would face a decade-long wait to access university at home fee rates, and families would be locked out of £3 billion-worth of retirement savings that they cannot access at the moment because of the restrictions imposed in Hong Kong.

“Many would be immobilised, unable to travel safely without risking contact with Chinese consulates. Children born here would have to wait until the age of 11 to gain a passport. 

“All of that would play directly into the hands of the Chinese Government, who have long claimed that BNO holders misplaced their trust in Britain. Changing the rules now would hand the Chinese Government a huge propaganda victory.”