The UK government has rowed back from setting tougher English language requirements on Hongkongers seeking to settle in the country through the British National (Overseas) pathway, saying it will be subject to consultation.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Mike Tapp also said the government would consider extending the pathway to Hongkongers born after the cityโs return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, who may not hold BN(O) passports.
During a parliament debate on Tuesday about the Labour administrationโs proposed immigration overhaul, Tapp confirmed that BN(O) visa holdersโ settlement in the UK was subject to โmandatory requirementsโ, but he said the government would still consult the public on both the earning threshold and the tightened language requirement.
The proposal, released last Thursday and described by the UK government as โbiggest overhaul of the legal migration model in 50 yearsโ, said some mandatory requirements for all immigrants, including the required English language level, would not be subject to consultation.
โThe new mandatory requirements for settlement are basic requirements that we think are reasonable in general for people to meet if they settle here,โ he said.
โBut we are interested in views on whether certain groups should be exempt from these, and I stress now no decisions have been made on this.โ