Of the varying forms of British nationality, only British citizens and certain British subjects have the right of abode in the UK, reflecting the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981. BN(O)s, being subject to immigration control, are not treated any differently in terms of the criteria to enter or reside in the UK.
Since the introduction of the British Nationality Act 1981, the only way that anyone can obtain the right of abode in the UK is by becoming a British citizen. Ministers do not have discretion to grant the right of abode outside of legislation, and there are no plans to amend the law to that effect.
In his 2007 Review of Citizenship, Lord Goldsmith recognised that to automatically give BNOs full British citizenship would be a breach of the commitments made between China and the UK in the 1984 Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong.
However, BNOs can be registered as British citizens in certain circumstances:
a) If a person lives in the UK for a period of five years, and meets the specified residence requirements, they can apply for registration under section 4(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981. Those applying under this section are not required to demonstrate the knowledge of English and knowledge of Life in the UK requirements.
b) The British Nationality Hong Kong Act 1997 also provides for the registration of British nationals who would otherwise be stateless and are ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.
c) BNOs can also apply for registration under section 4B of the 1981 Act if they do not have another citizenship or nationality.
Further information can be found on the
GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-nationality
Home Office
Click this link to view the response online:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/223531?reveal_response=yes
The Petitions Committee will take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence. If this petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the Committee will consider it for a debate.
The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee:
https://petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee
Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament