3 February 2022

The Home Office has published the results from its survey of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (‘BN(O)’) visa holders, which reveal interesting findings about the age, gender, family status, education, and occupation of visa holders. The survey results also reveal that the vast majority of BN(O) visa holders intend to stay in the UK for longer than the duration of their current visa or indefinitely.

What is the Hong Kong BN(O) visa?
The Hong Kong BN(O) visa was launched on 1 January 2021 and allows BN(O) individuals from Hong Kong, and their dependants to live, work and study in the UK. The visa is a route to settlement or indefinite leave to remain (‘ILR’).

A little over a year since the visa was launched, the Home Office has released the results from a survey it conducted of 500 BN(O) visa holders. The results reveal some interesting insights into the profile of BN(O) visa holders.

Age profile
The majority of BN(O) holders (32%) are aged 35-44, followed closely by those aged 45-54 (29%). The smallest age group of visa holders are those aged 18-24 (2%), followed by those aged 65 and over (4%).

Gender split
There is a fairly even gender split among visa holders, with 52% female and 48% male.

Relationship status
The vast majority of BN(O) holders (72%) are married. About a third (27%) are not married, in a civil partnership or co-habiting with a partner for more than two years.

Among visa holders who are married or co-habiting, 90% of their partners are also living in the UK. A small percentage (2%) have partners who are living abroad and do not plan on moving to the UK. The rest (8%) have partners who plan to come to the UK, though no data is provided on their intended arrival date.

Children
The majority (60%) of BN(O) holders have at least one child under the age of 18 or living with them, with most (33%) having two children. Visa holders’ children are mainly under the age of 18 and most (90%) are living in the UK. A small percentage (4%) of visa holders’ children are not living in the UK.

Education and occupation
The majority (69%) of BN(O) visa holders are educated to degree level or higher and most are working in a professional occupation (39%) or associate professional occupation (26%).

Length of stay
An overwhelming majority (96%) of BN(O) visa holders intend to stay in the UK for longer than the duration of their current visa or indefinitely. The rest intend to stay for the duration of their current visa only (2%) or are unsure (2%).

Data collection method
The Home Office commissed IFF Research to conduct a two-stage survey; the first took place from April to May 2021 and involved 250 visa holders and the second was conducted from August to September 2021 with a further 250 visa holders. The sample was randomly selected, but was representative of the overall BN(O) visa holder cohort in terms of age, gender, and in-country and out-of-country applicants.  The data refers to main applicants only; dependants are not included.

Get in touch
To learn more about forthcoming changes to UK immigration law, see our website, contact your assigned LDI lawyer or email enquiries@lauradevine.com.