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Settlement route for British National (Overseas) visa holders
P003125 - 04 November 2025 to 05 January 2026
Presentations: 2
Presenters: 1
Foreign Affairs
Immigration
At a Glance
This petition concerning settlement route for british national (overseas) visa holders was presented to Parliament 2 times by 1 MP.
Issue Summary
The petition addresses the concern that changing the 5+1 settlement route for British National (Overseas) visa holders to a 10-year requirement would be unfair to nearly 150,000 individuals who have relocated to the UK due to China’s national security law in Hong Kong and are expecting to become eligible for indefinite leave within the next year.
Action Requested
The petitioners request that the House of Commons urge the Government to maintain the current 5+1 settlement route for BNO visa holders already residing in the UK, ensuring they can continue to settle into their new lives without disruption.
Key Facts
- Nearly 150,000 BNO visa holders are affected.
- The change would disrupt the dignity and stability of this group facing transnational repression from China.
- Current rules will remain until the earned settlement framework is introduced.
Presentation Timeline
MPs presented this petition on the following dates. Each card shows the presenters and any recorded remarks.
Presented
05 January 2026
Tom Gordon
Lib Dem
Harrogate and Knaresborough
Presented
04 November 2025
Tom Gordon
Lib Dem
Harrogate and Knaresborough
I present a petition on behalf of British national overseas passport holders in my constituency and beyond. The petition
“Declares that altering the 5+1 settlement route for British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders, which currently allows them to apply for Indefinite Leave to remain after 5 years and citizenship a year after that,”
which could be changed by the Government, would be
“unfair…on a community of nearly 150,000 people who have made the UK their home following China’s imposition of a National Security Law on Hong Kong in 2020, and are largely expecting to become eligible for indefinite leave within the next year”.
Locally in Harrogate and Knaresborough, we have a thriving Hongkonger community that contributes in all walks of life. I am personally grateful to Albert Kam, who has helped round up over 300 signatures for the petition.
The petitioners
“therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to change course and keep the current 5+1 settlement route in place for those British National (Overseas) visa holders already residing in the UK, to ensure that they can continue to settle”
and contribute in their new lives in the UK.
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