Hongkongers moving to the United Kingdom under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme, known as BN(O), will be exempt from plans to double the qualifying period for settlement to 10 years, according to an official announcement.

The exemption retains stricter English-language requirements and tighter rules on criminal records, alongside existing conditions: five years of continuous residence and passing the Life in the UK test. On Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined plans to overhaul immigration rules, under which migrants would no longer gain the right to live permanently in the UK almost automatically after five years.