BNO Visa UK

The British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa offers a route for eligible Hong Kong residents and their families to live, work, and study in the UK, with the potential to settle permanently and eventually apply for British citizenship.

You must meet the following eligibility requirements for the BNO visa UK:

• You must be a British National (Overseas).
• Alternatively, if you're aged 18 or over and born on or after 1 July 1997, and one of your parents is a BN(O), you may also be eligible.
• Your permanent home must be in Hong Kong, the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man at the time of application.

Eligible dependants include your spouse or partner, children under 18, and adult dependants who rely on you due to illness, disability, or age.

Each family member must submit a separate application, which can be linked to your application using a unique application number or family linking code.

The documents required to apply for a UK visa under the BNO visa route may vary depending on the individual circumstances of the applicant. 

Generally, you will need to provide the following documents when applying for a UK visa under the BNO visa route:

Proof of Identity and BN(O) Status: You must provide the following documents as 

•  A valid passport or travel document.
• If you have a BN(O) passport (current or expired), it can be used to demonstrate your status.
• If you don't have a BN(O) passport, the Home Office can verify your status, but this may delay your application.

Proof of Residence: Documents showing your home address, such as utility bills, bank statements, or a letter from your employer.

Financial Evidence: Evidence that you can support yourself and your family for at least 6 months, unless you've been living in the UK for 12 months or more.

Relationship Evidence: Documents proving your relationship with family members applying with you, such as marriage or birth certificates.

Tuberculosis (TB) Test Certificate: If you're applying from certain countries, including Hong Kong, you'll need to provide a valid TB test certificate.

You should take the following steps to apply for a BNO visa from outside the UK: 

• Complete the online application form.
• Prove your identity using the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or by attending a visa application centre.
• Submit your supporting documents.
• Await a decision on your BNO visa application.

You should take the following steps to apply for a BNO visa from inside the UK:

• Complete the online application form.
• Prove your identity using the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or by attending a TLSContact service point.
• Submit your supporting documents.
• Await a decision.

Yes, you can apply for switching to a BNO visa from inside the UK if you are already in the UK under a different type of UK visa category. 

You can apply for a BNO visa for either:

• 2 years and 6 months, or
• 5 years.

Yes, the visa allows you to live, work, and study in the UK without restrictions.

While on a BNO visa in the UK, you can:

• work (except you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach)
• study (including at school, college or university)

You cannot usually get most benefits (public funds).

Once you have a BNO visa, you might be able to get access to benefits. You’ll be eligible for this in certain financial circumstances, for example, if you:

• do not have a place to live and cannot afford one
• have a place to live but cannot afford essential living costs like food or heating
• are at risk of losing your place to live or being unable to afford essential living costs
• have a very low income, and not having access to benefits would harm your child’s well-being

Yes, after 5 continuous years in the UK on a BN(O) visa, you can apply for ILR, provided you meet residence and other eligibility requirements.

Yes, one year after obtaining ILR under the BNO visa route, you can apply for British citizenship (subject to meeting requirements such as the Life in the UK Test and English language).

If you are a spouse of a British Citizen, you can apply for naturalisation as a British Citizen immediately after the grant of ILR as a BNO. 

No, it's helpful but not required. The Home Office can verify your BN(O) status without the passport.

The processing time for the BNO visa application varies depending on the type of service you use to apply for your BNO visa. 

The processing times for BNO visa applications are as follows: 

Standard Service: An out-of-country application through standard service takes up to 3 weeks, and an in-country application through standard service takes up to 12 weeks.

Priority Service: An application for a BNO visa submitted through Priority Service takes up to 5 working days.

Super Priority Service: An application for a BNO visa submitted through Super Priority Service is normally decided within 24 hours.

The cost of the BNO is dependent on the period for which you apply for a BNO visa. 

You can check the UKVI costs for the BNO visa application by clicking on the link below: 

• How Much Does a BNO Visa UK Cost?

You can challenge the refusal of your BNO visa by filing an Administrative Review (AR) of the refusal decision. You should apply for an Administrative Review (AR) within 28 days if you applied for a BNO visa from outside the UK and within 14 days if you applied for a BNO visa from inside the UK. 

You should normally apply for an extension of your BNO visa within 28 days before the expiry of your current leave to enter or remain as a BNO. However, an early extension of your BNO visa is also possible, and you can apply for a BNO visa up to 3 months before the expiry of your current leave to enter or remain as a BNO.