UK may extend visa scheme to young Hongkongers seeking refuge

Campaign calls for citizenship route to be opened up to offspring of BNO passport holders at heart of protests

The UK government has given its strongest indication yet that it will agree to calls to extend its visa lifeboat scheme to cover Hongkongers aged between 18 and 24 who were at the heart of recent civilian protests.

The current scheme, opened a year ago, is available only to British national (overseas) (BNO) passport holders born before 1997, the date of the handover of the city to China and the ending of the BNO scheme.