BNO VISA

WRITTEN BY : HEBA ABDEL FATTAH

BNO visa obtained If you are from Hong Kong and hold British citizenship (overseas), you and your family members can apply for a British (overseas) visa, which is known as the BNO visa, through which you can have the right to live, work and study in  United Kingdom, as of January 31, 2021.

 Where anyone holding a BN (O) visa is entitled to live, study and work in the UK, as well as eligible family members will receive a BN (O) visa, and can include partners, children including those over the age of 18, as well as grandchildren, and other adult relatives  .

This visa will help individuals and their families who obtain it to come and settle in the United Kingdom. Since its launch at the beginning of 2021, more than 123,000 eligible people from Hong Kong and their family members have chosen to accept this offer, and have applied for this visa.

  You can apply for a BNO visa if you are 18 years of age or over, or a British National (Overseas) born to a British National (Overseas) born on or after 1 July 1997

You can apply to enter or remain in the UK for a period of 30 months, and you can extend the period to another 30 months, or for a period of 5 years, and you can apply from outside or inside the UK.

  A BNO visa is usually obtained within 6 months, but you should not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you have made a decision, as your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Your visa begins on the day it is approved, even if you asked for a specific start date when you applied. If you use a valid BNO or HKSAR passport to prove your identity, you do not need to travel to the UK using the same passport.

  You can also apply for a settlement if you have a BNO visa and if you have spent 5 continuous years in the United Kingdom, as well as your family members can apply for settlement, in order to settle in the United Kingdom, after applying, you can become a British citizen.

BN(O) citizens are permanent residents of Hong Kong, who were citizens of a British Overseas Territory until 30 June 1997, and who wanted to remain British to obtain BN(O) citizenship when Hong Kong was a British Overseas Territory.

  British Overseas Territories nationals from Hong Kong who did not register as British (overseas) citizens and had no nationality or other nationality on 30 June 1997 became British Overseas Citizens on 1 July 1997, but if you are not already a British (overseas) citizen,  You cannot apply to become one of the holders of this visa.

British Nationality (Overseas) status, known as BNO, is one of the main categories of British citizenship under British Nationality Act, but holders of this citizenship are citizens of the Commonwealth, not British citizens.