Aug 2010

Application form:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/nationality/form_bos.pdf

Guide:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/nationality/guide_bos.pdf

Cost of applying: £540

If you have further queries or questions, please contact BritishHongKong at

Email: info@BritishHongKong.com or use our contact form

Phone us

• 01312080814  UK

• 81917659  Hong Kong

• 00441312080814 (calls from outside HK and the UK)

Do leave a message if no-one is able to take your call and we will get back to you.

We will be very grateful if could also send it to those whom you think may benefit from this provision, thank you.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2009/september/citizenship-law-clarification

“Changes to the law on citizenship – information for applicants

10 September 2009

The UK Border Agency recently announced changes to British nationality law under the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. These changes, which we described in a news story on 3 August, will be commenced by January 2010.

You should not make an application on the basis of these changes until they have become law. If you apply before then and you do not meet the current requirements for registration, we will not be able to register you – you should wait until an announcement is made on this website that the changes have come into force.

When the changes have become law, we will make application forms and guidance notes available. Until then, the current versions of the forms and guides MN1, B(OS) and UKM remain valid.”

If you have further queries and questions, please contact BritishHongKong at

Email: info@BritishHongKong.com or use our contact form

Phone us

• 01312081008  UK

• 81913221  Hong Kong

• 00441312081008 (calls from outside HK and the UK)

Do leave a message if no-one is able to take your call and we will get back to you.

We will be very grateful if could also send it to those whom you think may benefit from this provision, thank you.

click the link below to download

bcib-27-july-2009-version

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2008-09/borderscitizenshipandimmigration.html

We will soon produce a guide for making an application.

On behalf of BritishHongKong, I am truly delighted to announce that BritishHogKong has successfully joint the membership of the three following organisations: Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), and Justice. It is indeed an honourable recognition of BritishHongKong’s commitment to its aims and objectives in helping all British Nationals (Overseas).

On behalf of the Special Committee, I am sure that, with the support of these organisations, BritishHongKong will continue to grow and advance from strength to strength. Such success is, indeed, due to the many generous donors. Thank you!

Please, therefore, continue to support us financially, thank you!

Robin Tso

Founder

BritishHongKong

LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Therefore, please donate towards our BritishHongKong General Funds!

Lack of basic human rights in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill

As I am aware, the Immigration and Citizenship Bill is a follow-up of the review on British citizenship conducted by Lord Goldsmith, as requested by the Prime Minister in July 2007. One of the key points of Lord Goldsmith’s review was “to consider the difference between the different categories of British nationality.” However, it is apparent that the question of the different categories of British nationality has not been addressed in the Bill at all.

1.            Protocol 4 to the European Convention of Human Rights and Article 12 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the right of nationals to enter their country of nationality. Despite the UK being a signatory to these human rights instruments, British nationals who are not full British citizens do not currently have a right to enter the UK. It is disappointing that the current government appears to have no intention to take steps to forward these rights in the new Bill (House of Lords – Question HL349). This is despite the fact that EU laws already allow several million European Union citizens to live and work freely in the UK.

2.            The Citizenship Review report prepared by Lord Goldsmith has recommended that all British nationals should be given an entitlement to register as full British citizens to reduce the number of British nationalities and also so that equal rights are accorded to all British nationals. It also mentioned that British nationals are unlikely to move to the UK even if given full British citizenship, as most are well-settled overseas. The new Bill will be an excellent chance to put these recommendations into place and to restore full citizenship rights to all British nationals.

3.            While all British nationals previously had the rights to enter the UK, the removal of these rights and the segregation of British nationals in the 1960s to 1980s were based heavily on ethnic origin. According to Ann Dummett, a prominent writer on British Nationality Law, “the 1981 Nationality Act in effect gave full British citizenship to a group of whom at least 96% are white people, and the other, less favourable forms of British nationality to groups who are at least 98% non-white”. It is unacceptable that such blatantly racially discriminatory policies still exist in modern day Britain. Again, the new Bill will be an excellent opportunity to correct this clear racism in Britain’s nationality and immigration laws.

I truly hope that you will take these issues into consideration when examining the Bill.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. Robin Tso

Founder

Copy of which can be downloaded in PDF form: here

BritishHongKong is now looking into the details of the bill, and intends to make an official response by post to the two Houses of the Parliament by next week. We will continue to seek other possibilities to make our voice known to both the British government and the general public.

In the meantime, we are very much in need of your financial support in order to proceed our work.  Please go to our donation page to make a donation. http://www.britishhongkong.com/main/donate/ thank you!

(Monthly donation plans are now available!)

Furthermore, you can send to the BHK Core Group your views about this bill by using the contact form at: http://www.britishhongkong.com/main/about/bhk-core-group/

Our BHK Secretary (HK) asked,

“I totally agree with you that we are living in a globalised world. For example, the UK becomes more Europe-focused than before. It is much different from the time when the British Nationality Act 1981 was made. This Act has created six categories of British nationals, five of which do not enjoy the right of abode in the UK. BNO is one of them. Recently, Lord Goldsmith has published a report for the British government. He suggests that these categories of British nationals should be combined with British citizenship, but except BNO…. it is based on this is the violation of human right made by the British government. What do you think about the issue under the notion of UK becoming more Europe-focused? Should BNO be granted British and European citizenship? Will you work for us in the House of Lords?”

I do hope that you will continue to support our organisation, both in participation and financially, thank you.  

Mr. Robin Tso

Founder

BritishHongKong

More details can be found at http://www.hku.hk/press/news_detail_5862.html