Give the British Nationals (Overseas) of Hong Kong full British citizenship.
- Parliament:
- 2019–24
- Signatures:
- 16,082
- Responded:
- 8 Jun 2020
- Department:
- Home Office
The petition
People in Hong Kong are in a bad situation with their rights deteriorating and therefore the government should step up and grant people in Hong Kong British citizenship.
The situation in Hong Kong will only continue to get worse and therefore the UK government should step up and give holders of British Nationals (Overseas) status in Hong Kong British citizenship. Lord Goldsmith has said it is legal to give these people of Hong Kong British citizenship.
The government's response
The UK has a moral obligation to BN(O)s in the face of China’s actions. If proposed legislation is imposed, we will explore options to allow BN(O)s to apply to stay in the UK on a path to citizenship.
The best solution for Hong Kong, and British National (Overseas) (BN(O)s), is full respect for the rights and freedoms set out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
However, if China proceeds to impose a national security law on Hong Kong, this would be in direct conflict with its obligations under that Declaration, a legally binding treaty registered with the United Nations.
If China follows through with its proposed legislation, we will put in place new arrangements to allow BNOs to come to the UK, enabling them to live and apply to study and work for extendable periods of 12 months, thereby also providing a clear pathway to be granted British Citizenship.
Further details will be announced in due course.
Home Office
Highlighted: the sentence the model picked as the strongest evidence cited.