New British immigration bill has BN(O)ers running scared

A significant number of British National (Overseas) passport holders, or BN(O)ers, are currently scrutinizing the details of the immigration scheme under which they and their families relocated to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong. Like many other European nations, immigration has become a politically volatile issue in the UK. The current crisis has plunged Rishi Sunak's Tory government into chaos, leading to the resignation of his immigration minister over a contentious new immigration bill.

In the period leading up to the next general election, it is highly probable that the regulations for admitting migrants, both legal and illegal, will be tightened. The impact of such changes on BN(O)ers remains uncertain. Many are now coming to the realization that achieving settlement in the UK after a five-year residency is not guaranteed, but contingent upon passing a screening process. Nevertheless, they hold onto the hope that the UK government will support them and shield them from any adverse alterations in the rules for eventual or permanent settlement. It's worth noting that BN(O) passports are not recognized as valid travel documents by the Hong Kong and central governments.

The bill introduced by Sunak is more stringent than many had anticipated, primarily because he needed to appease the far-right anti-immigrant faction of his party. The fundamental issue is the excessive influx of migrants into the UK. Last year, the number reached 745,000, far exceeding the Tories' annual promise of 250,000. Brexit, the Ukraine war, and the BN(O) scheme were all unintentional major contributors to this surge. There is a proposed emergency legislation concerning the deportation of illegal migrants to Rwanda, but this is not a concern for us at the moment. It's conceivable that in certain scenarios, BN(O) applicants who fail at the five-year mark and refuse to leave the UK may be forcibly deported to the African nation, but this is purely speculative at this point.