Switching Into BNO Household Member Route Visa

• Page Contents
• Overview
• Requirements For Switching Into BNO Household Member Route Visa UK
• Period and Conditions of Grant
• How Can We Help?
• Our Fixed Fees

You can switch into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK if you are already in the UK on another type of UK visa and the BNO status holder is applying under BNO visa route at the same time. An application for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK is made in accordance with requirements as set out in Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas) of the Immigration Rules.

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors in London can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on fixed fee basis for your application for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK. Ask a question online to our specialist team of BNO visa solicitors for free immigration advice online or book an appointment online for a detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our BNO visa solicitors concerning your application for switching into BNO household member visa from inside the UK.

Requirements For Switching Into BNO Household Member Route Visa

A person applying for switching into BNO household member route visa should meet the following requirements of the immigration rules:

Valid Application

You must submit a valid application for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK in accordance with requirements for a valid application as set out in Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas) of the Immigration Rules. 

Age and Date Of Birth Requirement Of The Applicant

The applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date of application and the applicant must have been born on or after 1 July 1997.

Relationship Requirement For BNO Household Member

If the applicant is applying for switching into BNO household member route visa and they do not have permission on the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route on the date of application, the applicant:

• must be the child of a person who is, or who was prior to their death, a British National (Overseas) under the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986; or
• must:
  • be the child of a person who is at the same time being granted permission as a partner on the BN(O) Status Holder Route; and
  • form part of the same household as the BN(O) Status holder. A person will form part of the same household as the BN(O) Status Holder if they normally live with the BN(O) Status Holder.

Suitability Requirements

The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.

If applying for permission to stay the applicant must not be:

• in breach of immigration laws, except that where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or
• on immigration bail.

Ordinary Residence Requirement

 An applicant applying for permission to stay must be in the UK and must be ordinarily resident in the UK, the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey, the Isle of Man or Hong Kong on the date of application.

Financial Requirement For BNO household member route Visa

If the applicant is applying for switching into BNO household member route visa and has been living in the UK with permission for 12 months or more on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement unless the applicant’s previous grant of permission was for 12 months Leave Outside the Rules following an unsuccessful application for the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route.

If the applicant is applying for switching into BNO house hold member route visa and has been in the UK for less than 12 months on the date of application, or where the applicant’s previous grant of permission was for 12 months Leave Outside the Rules following an unsuccessful application for the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route, the decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant or the BN(O) Status Holder are able to maintain and accommodate the applicant adequately in the UK without recourse to public funds for at least 6 months.

The accommodation will not be regarded as adequate if:

• it is, or will be, overcrowded; or
• it contravenes public health regulations.

The applicant or the BN(O) Status Holder may rely on credible promises of future third party support. The applicant or the BN(O) Status Holder must show that they have the required funds as specified in Appendix Finance.

In-Country Tuberculosis Certificate Requirement

If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and:

• their last grant of permission was for 6 months or less; and
• the applicant was present in a country listed in Appendix T of these rules for more than six months immediately prior to their last grant of permission,

the applicant must provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them. A valid medical certificate is a certificate from an approved centre issued within the 6 months immediately before the date of application.

The in-country tuberculosis requirement is met if the applicant has provided a medical certificate as part of a successful application for entry clearance in the 12 months before the date of application.

The list of approved centres in the UK, updated from time to time, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-tuberculosis-test-clinics-for-hong-kong-bno.

Period and Conditions Of Grant

If the applicant does not have permission on the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route on the date of application and is the child of a person who is at the same time being granted permission as a partner on the BN(O) Status Holder route, the applicant will be granted permission which ends on the same date as the permission of the BN(O) Status Holder who is part of the same household as the applicant.

The grant will be subject to all the following conditions:

• no access to public funds; and
• work (including self-employment and voluntary work) permitted except for employment as a professional sportsperson, including as a sports coach; and
• study is permitted, subject to the condition in Appendix ATAS.

How Can We Help?

Our specialist team of BN(O) visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on fixed fee basis for your application for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK. The immigration caseworker to be carried out by our immigration solicitors in relation to your application will entail the the following:

• Our immigration solicitors will assess your eligibility for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK by considering all the relevant eligibility requirements;
• Our immigration solicitors will advise you on relevant documents to be submitted in support of your application for switching into BNO household member route visa;
• Our immigration solicitors will assess the documentary evidence to ensure that the documents are in line with the Home Office UKVI requirements for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK;
• Our immigration solicitors will complete online application form for switching into BNO household member route visa from inside the UK;
• Our immigration solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your application to explain in detail how all the relevant requirements for switching into BNO household member route visa have been satisfied by the applicant;
• Our immigration solicitors will submit the application online, paying the Home Office UKVI fees for the application and booking applicant's appointment with the UKVCAS application centre;
• Our immigration solicitors will upload all the supporting documents online in support of the application;
• Our immigration solicitors will do all the follow-up work including responding to any queries raised by the Home Office UKVI until decision is reached on your application.

Our Fixed Fees For Switching Into BNO Household Member Route Visa

• Our immigration solicitors will charge a fixed fee ranging from £1,000 to £1,500 (no VAT) for your application for BNO household member route visa from inside the UK. The agreed fixed will depend on the complexity of the application and the volume of work involved in the BNO household member route visa UK application.
• Our fixed fee for the application does not cover any disbursements e.g. UKVI fee for the application and the applicant has to separately pay the Home office UKVI fees for the application.