First BN(O) Cohort Granted UK Settlement After Five Years

The first group of Hongkongers has reached permanent status under the BN(O) visa scheme, with official UK figures showing that nearly 600 people received Indefinite Leave to Remain in the year ending June 2025. Announced in August, the milestone confirms that the earliest arrivals from early 2021 have now met the five‑year residence rule, opening the door to British citizenship from late 2025.

The Home Office said the total is modest for now but will rise fast as more people reach five years in the country. The Labour government kept the route intact while proposing longer residence for other migrants, and its May 2025 White Paper made clear the BN(O) path stays on the original “5+1” timeline: five years to settlement, plus one more year to citizenship.

Today’s settlement grants are more than a legal step. They allow people to put down roots, buy homes on standard terms, plan long careers, and sponsor family in the future. For the first time since the route opened in January 2021, the promise many held onto during sudden change in Hong Kong is turning into a stable life in Britain.

First ILR Grants Under the BN(O) Route

According to official statistics released in August 2025, nearly 600 BN(O) holders obtained Indefinite Leave to Remain in the year ending June 2025. This first wave comes from those who moved in early 2021, when the BN(O) visa scheme opened in response to political changes in Hong Kong.

The Home Office has said more people will qualify month by month as they hit the five‑year mark, turning a small early total into a larger stream.

The pathway has stayed stable through a wider reset of UK immigration policy. After taking office in 2024, the Labour government floated a longer, ten‑year residence period for many routes before settlement. But the May 2025 White Paper explicitly exempted BN(O) families, keeping the original design that lets people settle after five years and then apply for citizenship a year later.

For families who took a leap in 2021—often selling homes, pulling children out of school, and starting again in unfamiliar towns—this news carries real weight. Examples include:

• A small business owner in Manchester who said ILR means he can scale his café, hire more staff, and apply for a mortgage without special conditions.
• A nurse in Leeds who said settlement gives her the confidence to plan specialist training and bring her widowed mother later, once she holds citizenship.

What the 5+1 Pathway Requires

The BN(O) route lets eligible Hong Kong residents and their families live, work, and study in the UK for up to five years. People apply online, submit biometrics, and then complete residence in the UK before seeking long‑term status.

• Guidance: Home Office BN(O) visa guidance

Key eligibility and requirements for settlement:

• Five years of continuous residence, with no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12‑month period.
• Pass the Life in the UK Test.
• Meet English language rules if aged 18–64.
• Earliest filing: 28 days before the five‑year point.
• If applicants spend long periods abroad, they may need to extend their visa before applying for settlement.

Fees and charges:

The settlement application uses standard biometric and processing steps familiar to those who first arrived in 2021.

After holding ILR for one year, BN(O) residents may apply for British citizenship. Many in the first cohort will reach that point between late 2025 and early 2026. Citizenship allows people to vote in general elections, hold a British passport, and sponsor a wider range of family members.

Community Impact and Policy Debate

The BN(O) policy was created as a response to the political situation in Hong Kong and to the historic link between the city and the UK. It aimed to offer a safety net and a steady route to full status. Four and a half years on, the first permanent outcomes show the route is delivering for early movers.

At the same time, the wider immigration picture has tightened:

• Salary thresholds have risen for work routes.
• Family routes face new income rules.
• The BN(O) route’s retention of the five‑year path stands out against a broader trend toward longer waits.

Support groups welcomed the clarity but warned against complacency. While many newcomers find good jobs and schools, issues remain:

• High housing costs
• Credential checks for regulated jobs
• Gaps in mental health support

Several local councils, including Warrington, have set up help lines and information hubs to ease day‑to‑day life.

Analysis by VisaVerge.com highlights that the BN(O) pathway’s stability has boosted confidence among families planning long moves. Predictable rules on residence, testing, and language help households plan savings, education, and care for older parents. That predictability will matter more as the first wave moves into citizenship, enabling relatives to be brought under standard British rules.

Employers also report benefits:

• Schools, hospitals, tech firms, and small businesses say BN(O) professionals fill skills gaps.
• Settlement strengthens retention because staff can change roles, launch companies, or buy property with fewer hurdles.

However, concerns persist:

• Childcare costs near major cities
• Delays in professional registration recognition
• Ongoing uncertainty until a British passport is obtained

Lawyers advise clients to keep careful records of travel dates, taxes, and addresses to smooth ILR checks.

Practical Steps and Common Pitfalls

Officials say the number who reach settlement will grow each quarter as more people cross the five‑year line. For individuals nearing the five‑year point, practical steps are important.

Recommended actions:

1. Book the Life in the UK Test well in advance.
2. Check passport stamps and travel history.
3. Ensure addresses on bank statements and utility bills are current.
4. Plan school terms, work schedules, and travel around the ILR filing window to avoid breaching the 180‑day annual absence limit.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

• Assuming absences are checked by calendar year rather than rolling 12‑month blocks.
• Failing to keep records for family members who travel separately.
• Delaying English tests until test centres are fully booked near the ILR window.

Practical record-keeping tips:

• Download travel records and keep copies of school attendance and NHS letters.
• Save payslips and bank statements covering the five‑year span.
• If frequent travel is required for work, prefer shorter trips that keep absences within the 180‑day limit.

Longer‑Term Effects: Families, Work and Communities

The link between BN(O) settlement and British citizenship changes family planning:

• Once people become citizens, they can apply to bring certain relatives under normal British rules.
• Children born in the UK after a parent becomes settled are British at birth.
• For families with aging parents, citizenship can ease long‑term care planning.

For students and young adults:

• Settlement opens doors to graduate schemes and public‑sector roles that prefer or require permanent status.
• It reduces costs from repeated visa renewals, such as recurring health surcharges.

Distinctive features of the BN(O) route:

• No cap on numbers.
• Family members can join if eligible.
• Open work permission without employer sponsorship.

These traits reduce pressure points common to other visa categories and align with the route’s humanitarian and economic aims.

Policy Sensitivities and Local Services

From a foreign‑policy angle, the route remains sensitive. Beijing has objected since its launch, and London frames the offer as a moral duty tied to past commitments. Those positions continue under the current government.

The first cohort’s shift from temporary status to permanence reduces fear for families and eases planning. For policymakers, the next test will be how well local services absorb this change:

• People with ILR can access more public support if they fall on hard times.
• Many will aim to buy homes or move areas for work.
• Councils need to plan for school places, English classes, and housing advice in regions with high early arrival numbers.

Many local communities have already changed. Examples:

• New businesses run by Cantonese‑speaking owners in the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and the South East
• Saturday schools and parent groups
• Bilingual staff helping health trusts reach older patients more comfortably

As more people gain ILR and later citizenship, they may stand for local office, and banks and lenders are likely to standardise products for long‑resident borrowers. Councils are encouraging shared‑ownership schemes for families still building savings.

Final Takeaways

• The BN(O) programme has delivered the first wave of settlement in the UK; the pipeline will grow as more people hit five years.
• The government’s decision to keep the five‑year rule distinguishes BN(O) from other routes facing longer waits.
• For thousands who moved in 2021, that stability is becoming permanent homes, wider rights, and — soon — British passports.

Practical reminder: keep travel, employment, and address records up to date, book required tests early, and plan travel to avoid exceeding the 180‑day absence limit in any rolling 12‑month period. More will follow soon.