Hong Kong veterans settlement route to be introduced in Autumn 2023

On 29 March 2023 the UK government announced that the new Hong Kong Veterans Settlement route will soon be open and enable Hong Kongers who served in the British military to live and work in the UK.

Hundreds of Hong Kong veterans of the British military will be able to apply to settle in the UK under a new Government visa route to open later this year, following decades of campaigning and being refused citizenship.

The Government's Hong Kong Veterans Settlement route will enable hundreds who served in the British Armed Forces to live and work in the UK.

The settlement route will be open to all Hong Kong servicemen and women who served in the British military prior to 1 July 1997 and their family members, including a partner or spouse and dependent children.

Those who are eligible will be able to apply for 'indefinite leave to enter', which will allow them to live and work in the UK without restriction, with a potential path to full British citizenship.

Of the 1,500 Hong Kongers who served in the ranks of the Royal Navy and the British Army, only 159 were granted a British passport.

The immigration minister added: "On every occasion, their loyalty was pivotal. It is only right that we recognise their exceptional dedication, service and sacrifice by introducing our new settlement route for Hong Kong veterans."

Applications for the settlement scheme are expected to open this autumn.