HONG KONG: THOUSANDS TO APPLY FOR BRITISH NATURALISATION

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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Cant/Eng/Nat With one week left for Hong Kong citizens to apply for British naturalisation, over 30-thousand people queued up this week at immigration offices in Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents are British Dependent Territory citizens. But many are nervous about their travel privileges and citizenship after the colony returns to Chinese rule in 1997. Thousands of Hong Kong residents waited in line for hours Saturday morning in order to secure their rights to travel freely after the territory is handed back to China. Currently, Hong Kong does not issue a passport and residents of the British colony use British Dependent Territory travel documents. However, when Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule, Hong Kong residents will only be recognised as British citizens if they carry the British National Overseas (BNO) passports. The naturalisation process takes an average of six months and the deadline to apply is one week from today. And only after naturalisation can the Hong Kong residents apply for BNO passports. The British government recently promised visa-free entry for Hong Kong residents into Britain after 1997. But some people remain sceptical because permission will also depend on the Chinese government. VOXPOP: (English) I'm scared of the China government - at first they say yes and then they say no. Some citizens are fully aware of their rights after 1997. But others who are applying for naturalisation and BNO passports seem merely caught up in the rush. VOXPOP: (Cantonese) I'm applying because I think that it will help me in the future. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I see other people applying so I just follow them. Immigration officials say that despite the huge influx of applications they received this week, they are confident that they can handle the workload. The Hong Kong immigration service has already added more staff to deal with the huge crowds and it has also extended working hours. But the immigration officials warned that not all who apply will get the status they desire. For the unlucky ones - the future will remain uncertain. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/86fa27472c597f262ecb265154c31f6c Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork