The UK government has announced another year of funding for its Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Programme, which will run from 2023 to 2024. The programme aims to support Hong Kongers who are coming to live in the UK under the BN(O) visa. Since its launch in 2021, more than 160,000 eligible Hong Kongers and their family members have applied for the BN(O) visa, enabling them to live, work, and study in the UK with a pathway to citizenship.

The government’s latest support package includes £2.6 million of funding for UK-wide and regional projects. Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations are invited to submit bids for funding. In addition, funding will be continued for the network of 12 Welcome Hubs across the UK, which help BN(O)s to understand and connect to services in their local area.

The government has also announced further funding for On Your Side, a reporting and support service for BN(O)s and all other East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK who experience or witness racism or any other form of hate. Furthermore, additional funding for English language classes and destitution support, if required, will be provided through local authorities in England. Over 3,600 BN(O)s have benefited from this funding to learn English.

The government will also continue to update its dedicated GOV.UK page, which includes a Welcome Pack available in English and Cantonese.

Felicity Buchan, Minister for the Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Programme, said that BN(O)s have already become a vibrant part of the UK’s communities, making a fantastic contribution to the country’s national life by creating new businesses and social enterprises. She added that the government’s ongoing support reflects its commitment to BN(O)s who have chosen to make the UK their home.

The BN(O) visa route has been successful since its launch, with nearly 154,000 BN(O)s and their dependents granted visas. In previous funding rounds, the Welcome Programme has supported VCSE organisations in areas such as employability, mental health and wellbeing, and social integration, significantly impacting people’s lives.

For example, the Hong Kong Business Hub in London and the North West of England provides professional coaching to entrepreneurs who want to start their businesses. After receiving professional coaching from the Hong Kong Business Hub, Rachel Tang and her partner secured a franchise deal to open their bubble tea shop in London.

The Health for All group in Yorkshire and Humberside offers various services, including English language, employability, and housing support. One BN(O) who became involved as a volunteer at the Leeds-based organisation said that volunteering at Health for All helped them achieve their career goal, as they liked helping people with language needs and were starting an interpreter course to help others in the future.

The Welcome Programme has also funded UKHK, a project of Welcome Churches, which has organised Friendship Festivals across the UK to bring together BN(O)s and their new communities. So far, 14 festivals have been held in cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, and Cardiff, where food, entertainment, and local traditions from Hong Kong were shared.

If you are a BN(O) and want to learn more about the Welcome Programme, please visit the dedicated GOV.UK page, available in English and Cantonese.