"North Ayrshire Council has had a long tradition of being at the forefront of resettlement programmes when they have been introduced and it is only right that the Council should extend the hand of friendship to those wishing to relocate from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom as part of the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Integration Programme. Since the programme was announced by the U.K. Government there have been 34,300 applications, with 7,200 visas having been granted so far.
The Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Integration Programme has been implemented to ensure that status holders can receive access to housing, work, and educational support to enable them to quickly integrate and contribute to their newfound communities.
As these areas covered by the funding support remain the responsibility of the devolved administrations £5.8m has been made available to the devolved administrations through the Barnett formula to support councils in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Additionally, there is a further £5m which will be used to establish 12 virtual welcome hubs across the United Kingdom to facilitate support and provide practical advice and assistance to Hong Kong BN(O)’s applying for school places, registering with GPs, and setting up businesses.
The hubs will collaborate with local authorities and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to provide face-to-face support where needed, while resources will be made available to local authorities, including FAQs and lessons learned from other integration programmes to share best practice from across the UK.
The move delivers on the UK’s historic and moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up BN(O) status after the handover in 1997 and provides them with a pathway to live in the UK should they choose to do so.
BN(O) status holders have had their rights and freedoms restricted by the National Security Legislation imposed by the Chinese government in July 2020 and the UK Government believes it is right to change the entitlements in the UK which are attached to their status.
Therefore, we move that the Council:
1. Agrees to work with the United Kingdom Government to ensure the successful delivery of the Hong Kong BN(O) Integration Programme by committing to work with UK Government officials to support Hong Kong BN(O) residents in coming to North Ayrshire.
2. Agrees that a report is brought to Cabinet detailing the up-to-date position on U.K. Government proposals outlining the support which the Council can provide to Hong Kong BN(O) visa applicants.
3. Agrees that the report should include information detailing how North Ayrshire Council can become the directing Council for the virtual hub in Scotland and investigate access to funding streams to support Hong Kong BN(O) residents who take the opportunity to make Scotland their new home."