( This article was originally published by UK in a Changing Europe. )

As the Hong Kong BN(O) visa scheme approaches its fifth anniversary, Heather Rolfe looks at the lessons that can be learned from the scheme in how the UK can support new migrants.

More than 180,000 people have moved to the UK from Hong Kong in the five years since the British National (Overseas) visa scheme BN(O) was put in place, after Hong Kong’s National Security law restricted its citizens’ democratic freedoms. As the fifth anniversary of the scheme approaches on 31 January 2026, many of the first settlers will be preparing their applications for Leave to Remain, with a view to becoming British citizens in 2027: 99% of those who arrived by 2023 said this was their intention and BN(O)s feared that the government’s plans to extend the waiting period to ten years would apply to them. Only in late November was it made clear they would not.

Alongside the visa, the then Conservative government introduced a Welcome Programme in April 2021 which included financial support for local and national organisations working with BN(O)s. Funding for the programme has been scaled down since 2024 and will close this March. What lessons can be drawn from the programme for how new migrants can be supported to settle into their new lives?

English language is key to settlement and integration

BN(O)s say confidence in speaking English is the biggest barrier to finding work or a job that matches their skills and qualifications. Two-thirds rate their spoken and written English as good or very good, but they lack confidence particularly in using English for work. Throughout the period of the Welcome Programme they were not eligible for funded English Language (ESOL) classes, but could apply for a grant of £850 to access a course. Around 1 in 6 attended classes, but many could not find courses at the level they needed, since most provision is at a more basic level.

Rules on eligibility for ESOL have recently changed so that BN(O)s, and other migrants who can prove residency and other criteria, can access mainstream ESOL from the outset. But the shortage of provision at higher level remains. As Diana Sutton, Director of the Bell Foundation points out, this presents a problem given new skilled worker visa requirements.

Don’t underestimate barriers to employment

Our 2023 survey found most BN(O)s are of working age and 59% have a degree at graduate or postgraduate level. A further 15% have a professional qualification.

In 2023 only half of working age BNOs were in work, although by 2025 this had increased to around two-thirds, compared to the UK overall rate of 75%. A bigger problem for many BN(O)s has been finding the jobs they wanted: Our survey also found that almost half of working BN(O)s said their job doesn’t match their skills and experience at all (27%), or only a little (20%). Most of those aged over 45 with a professional qualification said they were not using it in their current job. They include people who are qualified as nurses, engineers and teachers who work in factories, warehouses and delivery firms. This is a significant economic loss both to individual BN(O)s and the UK economy as a whole.

Recognition of qualifications, lack of experience in the UK and knowledge about the UK labour market are significant issues for BN(O)s. The government’s welcome pack provided very little signposting on where they might find help, beyond a link to the National Careers Service. More than three-quarters of BN(O)s in our survey said they had not received any careers information, advice or guidance, while two-thirds said they would like it.

Moreover, the terms of the visa meant they could not access funded further and higher education courses, as well as ESOL. This barrier has now been removed so that BN(O)s and other migrants who meet residency criteria can access further education and training. These changes to accessing FE courses are a positive step which will help future migrants in establishing their new lives here.

How can ‘mainstream’ support work best for migrants?

The government has stated that, as the Hong Kong Welcome programme closes ‘support to BN(O) visa holders [will] be picked up by mainstream support services and new cross-community initiatives’. This sounds good, but is likely to be effective only if mainstream support services have the knowledge and skills needed. Otherwise, it means that only bespoke services, with funding through initiatives and charities, can meet migrants’ needs. As the Hong Kong Welcome Programme shows, grant programmes are often temporary and the skills built up can disappear along with the funding.

For BN(O)s the help which has been most needed is in securing work which matches skills. It is the help that mainstream services are probably least able to deliver, yet it would also bring benefits to employers and the economy.

Migrants with no access to public funds, including BN(O)s, have not been able to use Jobcentre Plus. However, its focus on sanctions and lack of personalised support makes it poorly equipped to meet their needs, even if they were.

Jobcentre Plus is to be merged with the National Careers Service with a new Jobs and Careers Service in place from October 2026. Assuming that migrants are eligible to seek help from the new service to meet their needs for tailored support, it must include specialist advisors. These should be equipped to advise on recognition of qualifications, English language requirements, professional support networks and other work-related matters to enable migrants to make use of their skills and experience. This would not just benefit individual migrants, but the UK economy and labour market more widely; we all lose out if people who could be working as doctors or engineers are stuck in poorly-paid or insecure employment.

A similar process of mainstreaming is needed across all public services. Schools and teachers could meet the needs of migrant pupils better if they understand how they have come to be in the UK, and their emotional and learning needs; health services and local authorities can also plan provision better if they understand the needs of all their populations, including migrants.

As the Hong Kong Welcome Programme winds up, the skills and expertise of the many hundreds of people across the UK who have helped BN(O)s in their journey to becoming British should not be lost. The best legacy of the programme would be to ensure that all services are able to provide the quality of help to current and future new arrivals.