17 Mar 2025
In Geneva - At the 32nd meeting of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, Junius Ho, founder of the International Pro Bono Legal Services Association (IPLSA), made an urgent appeal for the civil and political rights of Hong Kong people who had moved to the UK under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme.
In his 90-second speech, Mr. Ho emphasized the significant challenges faced by over 100,000 Hong Kong people who had migrated to the UK through this scheme. Despite many of them having high skills and professional qualifications, most could not regain their previous positions and were relegated to low-skilled jobs, encountering major obstacles in employment and social integration.
Mr. Ho also pointed out that the UK government seemed to be using its historical connection with Hong Kong to attract this vulnerable community to the UK, exploiting them for financial gain to address the labor shortages and financial difficulties it faced after Brexit. He described this as a blatant exploitation of these Hong Kong people rather than a genuine concern for their welfare.
He stressed that the BNO immigration plan did not guarantee that these Hong Kong people would definitely obtain UK citizenship, ultimately leaving many of them in an unstable and uncertain situation. In contrast, countries like Australia and Canada have done better and more morally! Mr. Ho made a statement at the United Nations and urged the UK to immediately correct this, to protect Hong Kong people holding BNO passports, and to ensure that their rights and dignity are not violated!
Since the end of 2023, IPLSA has been an active advocate on this issue, submitting multiple reports to the Human Rights Council, including at the 140th session of the Human Rights Committee (CCPR) and the 77th session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). IPLSA is pleased to note that CESCR has included its recommendations in its concluding observations (reference E/C.12/GBR/CO/7) and will actively investigate the UK’s treatment of BNO migrants and hold the state accountable.
