At least 12 Hong Kongers convicted over their involvement in the 2019 anti-government protests have been denied British National (Overseas), or BN(O), visas by the UK Home Office since Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office in July, according to British media reports.
The refusals have prompted the UK-based Hong Kong organization Dandelion Solidarity CIC to call on the government to review how politically sensitive overseas convictions are assessed in immigration cases.
Protest convictions lead to BN(O) visa refusals
British newspaper Metro reported that lawyers representing rejected applicants were aware of at least 12 Hong Kongers whose BN(O) applications had been denied because of convictions stemming from the 2019 protest movement. The figure was also reported by Hong Kong newspaper The Standard.
Among them is a 28-year-old man identified by the pseudonym Edward. He was convicted of rioting following a July 28, 2019, protest in Yuen Long and sentenced in January 2022 to three and a half years in prison. He was released in March 2024.
Edward’s parents and brother later moved to Britain under the BN(O) program. He applied for his own visa in October 2025, but the Home Office rejected the application on July 21.
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According to the refusal letter reviewed by Metro, British officials relied heavily on the Hong Kong court judgment in concluding that Edward’s conduct would constitute a criminal offense in the UK. The judgment did not accuse him of personally committing violence.
Another applicant, identified as John, was convicted of rioting in connection with demonstrations near Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November 2019. He served two years and one month in prison and was released in November 2025.
John applied for a BN(O) visa the following month, but his application was rejected on July 22. Metro reported that the Home Office again relied on the applicant’s riot conviction and the underlying Hong Kong court judgment. Lawyers for Edward and John said at least 10 other democracy activists had received similar refusals.
The Home Office told media outlets that it could not verify the anonymized individual cases but said standard immigration rules concerning criminal convictions also apply to BN(O) applicants.
Hong Kong group urges review of immigration rules
On Sept. 23, Dandelion Solidarity CIC wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asking the government to reconsider how convictions that applicants say were politically motivated are handled.
According to Points Media’s report on the letter, the group asked for cases involving alleged political prosecutions to receive additional review by specialized or senior officials. It also proposed creating a “Hong Kong Humanitarian Entry and Protection Referral Mechanism” for people who face a risk of persecution but cannot safely or legally use existing immigration routes.
Daniel Kwok Tsz-kin, a director of Dandelion Solidarity, said the organization was not asking British authorities to disregard applicants’ criminal records. Instead, it wants officials to independently examine the evidence, the applicant’s conduct, the fairness of the trial and whether political considerations affected the prosecution or sentence.
Current UK immigration rules require an application for entry clearance or permission to be refused when an applicant has received a custodial or suspended sentence of 12 months or more in Britain or overseas.
However, Home Office guidance states that overseas offending must be disregarded when the underlying conduct would not constitute a criminal offense in the UK. That distinction has become central to the dispute over protest-related convictions from Hong Kong.
Dandelion Solidarity said the Home Office had previously confirmed in an Aug. 6 response that officials would consider relevant evidence and the circumstances of individual cases when applicants raised concerns about political motivation or overseas convictions.
Wu Chi-wai case raised similar concerns
The dispute follows the high-profile case of former Hong Kong lawmaker and Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai.
Wu was sentenced to four years and five months in prison for conspiracy to commit subversion over his involvement in Hong Kong’s unofficial 2020 pro-democracy primary election. He was released in June and traveled to Britain the following month to reunite with his family.
Wu was initially detained at Heathrow Airport and told he could remain for only seven days. British authorities later reversed that decision and allowed him to stay as a visitor for six months following intervention by his legal team. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that the Home Office ultimately confirmed he would not be removed from the country.
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