UK extends residence rights of 3M eligible Hong Kongers

Britain's foreign secretary has announced that residence rights for Hong Kongers eligible for British National Overseas passports will be extended to five years.

Dominic Raab told the House of Commons on Wednesday that the new rules will allow up to 3 million Hong Kongers the right to live and work in Britain without the current six-month limit. After five years in the U.K., BNO passport holders could apply for settled status and then apply for citizenship 12 months after that.

The announcement came after China imposed a sweeping new national security law in Hong Kong that Britain calls a flagrant breach of China's international obligations and a clear and serious violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.