The second year of a bespoke immigration scheme witnessed Australia granting permanent residency to 680 Hong Kongers. This scheme was introduced in 2020 after Beijing enforced the national security law in the city.
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According to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, the visa grants from March 2023 to February 2024 nearly doubled the 370 offers in the scheme’s first year.
On March 23, Australia introduced tougher English-language requirements. However, according to the government, this requirement is exempt for Hong Kongers who apply for temporary graduate work visas that could lead to Australian permanent residency.
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We also have some good news for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders under the bespoke scheme introduced two years ago. These people who have worked in Australia for three or four years after graduating can now apply for permanent residency.
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Moreover, the government also mentioned exempting Hong Kong and British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders from the tightened requirement.
As part of its efforts to fix what it called a “broken” migration system, the government also announced in December that the maximum eligible age for a temporary graduate visa would be lowered from 50 to 35.
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Australia, Britain, and Canada created special immigration pathways for Hong Kongers in response to Beijing’s national security law. This law banned secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion acts with foreign forces.
As of December 2023, the UK government has granted 191,158 British National (Overseas) Visas to Hong Kongers. This visa enables them to work, study, and live in Britain and even apply for citizenship after six years.
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