United Kingdom — Hong Kong BN(O) Visa to Settlement
Summary
- Route opened
- 31 January 2021
- Permission granted for
- 30 months or 5 years
- Settlement after
- 5 years continuous residence on a route to settlement
- Absence limit
- ≤ 180 days in any rolling 12 months
- Under 18 at application
- Own 5 years not required (HC 584, from 8 Oct 2026)
- Citizenship
- Possible 12 months after settlement
The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route opened on 31 January 2021 for BN(O) status holders and their eligible family members. Permission is granted for 30 months or 5 years, and after 5 years of continuous residence with permission on a route to settlement you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Continuity is tested under Appendix Continuous Residence: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period. From 8 October 2026, Statement of Changes HC 584 removes the 5-year requirement for applicants aged under 18 at the date of application, so children can settle alongside their parents. British citizenship normally follows 12 months after settlement.
Who it applies to
This rule matters most if you are:
- A BN(O) status holder living in the UK on the Hong Kong BN(O) visa and working towards settlement.
- A family member — partner, child, or other eligible dependant — who came with or joined a BN(O) status holder on this route.
- A parent whose children arrived later or were born abroad, and who wants to know whether the children can settle at the same time as the family.
- Someone who travels back to Hong Kong regularly for work or family and needs to keep the absences under the rolling limit.
The route also allows time on other routes to settlement to be combined with BN(O) time where the Immigration Rules permit, so people who switched into the BN(O) route from another qualifying visa may reach the 5-year point sooner. The ILR guide covers how the routes fit together.
The rule — and why it exists
Settlement on the BN(O) route rests on three things:
- 5 years continuous residence. You must have spent a continuous 5-year period in the UK with permission on the BN(O) route, or on the BN(O) route combined with other routes to settlement where the rules allow. Following HC 584 (published 3 September 2026, in force 8 October 2026), this applies unless the applicant is aged under 18 at the date of application.
- The 180-day rolling absence limit. Appendix Continuous Residence requires that you were not outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period during those 5 years. It is a cumulative count of every day abroad in each rolling window.
- Knowledge of language and life. Adults aged 18 to 64 must pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English language requirement at level B1.
Why it exists: the BN(O) route was created to give Hong Kong BN(O) status holders a secure, predictable path to settle in the UK. The 5-year period and the 180-day rule are the same standard applied to other settlement routes, so BN(O) holders are treated consistently with them. The HC 584 change recognises that a child’s time in the UK depends on their parents’ decisions, and stops families being split across different settlement dates.
Counting the days
Working out when you qualify means running two clocks at once:
- 1Find the start of your continuous 5-year period — the date your permission on the BN(O) route (or an earlier combinable route to settlement) began. Your earliest settlement application date is 5 years on from there.
- 2List every trip outside the UK since that date with exact departure and return dates, including short trips to Hong Kong and elsewhere.
- 3For each possible 365-day window inside the 5 years, add up every day spent outside the UK. The highest total must not exceed 180 days.
- 4If your permission was granted for 30 months, extend before it expires so that you hold permission on the route throughout the 5 years — the requirement is 5 years with permission, not just 5 years of presence.
- 5Once settled, note the date: 12 months later you may be able to apply for British citizenship, subject to its own residence and absence rules.
The free ILR absence calculator checks every rolling window from your trip dates and shows the worst one alongside your earliest application date.
Examples
Example 1 — a straightforward 5 years
You arrived on a 5-year BN(O) visa in March 2021 and visit Hong Kong for about six weeks each year. Your busiest rolling year shows roughly 60 days abroad, well under 180. You reach 5 years in March 2026 and can apply for settlement, having passed the Life in the UK test and met the B1 English requirement.
Example 2 — a child who arrived later
Your parents settled in 2026 but you joined them in the UK in 2024 at age 14. Before HC 584 you would have needed your own 5 years. From 8 October 2026, because you are under 18 at the date of application, the 5-year continuous residence requirement does not apply and you can apply to settle alongside them.
Example 3 — extended time in Hong Kong
A family matter keeps you in Hong Kong for seven months (about 210 days). That single absence exceeds 180 days in the surrounding 12-month window, so continuous residence is broken unless the Home Office accepts a permitted reason such as serious illness of a close family member, which you would need to document.
How Bounded helps
Many BN(O) households travel between the UK and Hong Kong several times a year, and a settlement application asks for every trip with dates. Bounded is a country-days tracker that builds that record automatically as you go, so the absence list is ready when you need it:
- Automatic day count. Each trip outside the UK is logged with its departure and return dates and the days abroad are counted day by day. Over the 5-year period that log is the absence record the Home Office asks for.
- The rolling 180-day check, live. Bounded tests every 365-day span and shows the one closest to the cap, so a trip in January and another in October are read together the way the rules read them. Enter a planned trip and see whether it fits before you book.
- One record per family member. Parents and children often travel differently — a child may stay in Hong Kong for a school term while a parent returns for work. Tracking each person separately shows whose absences are close to the limit.
- Beyond settlement. The ILR absence calculator gives the same worst-window check without an account, and once you hold ILR the same trip log feeds the citizenship absence limits 12 months later.
Bounded records where you were; it does not decide whether an absence is excused or whether you meet the other settlement requirements. Use the GOV.UK sources above for those, and the ILR guide for how the pieces fit together.
Exceptions & edge cases
- Applicants under 18 (from 8 October 2026). HC 584 removes the 5-year continuous residence requirement for anyone aged under 18 at the date of application, so dependent children can settle alongside their parents. Before that date the appendix required the child to complete their own 5 years, so timing matters for families applying around the changeover.
- Combining routes. Time on other routes to settlement can be combined with BN(O) time where Appendix Hong Kong BN(O) allows it. Check the appendix for which routes count.
- Permitted reasons for excess absence. Appendix Continuous Residence allows the Home Office to disregard absences caused by serious illness of the applicant or a close family member, conflict, natural disaster, travel disruption, or compelling compassionate circumstances. Evidence is required and the discretion is not automatic.
- Age-based requirements. The Life in the UK test and B1 English apply to adults aged 18 to 64 only.
- Citizenship is a separate application. Settlement does not make you British. Naturalisation is normally possible 12 months after ILR and has its own 450-day and 90-day absence limits.
Common misconceptions
- "A 5-year visa means I automatically settle at the end." No — the 5-year permission simply avoids an extension. You must still apply for settlement and meet the continuous residence, absence, language and Life in the UK requirements.
- "Trips to Hong Kong do not count because that is where I am from." They count. Every day outside the UK, whatever the destination, goes towards the 180-day rolling total.
- "180 days is per calendar year." False — the limit applies to any rolling 12-month period, so absences spanning a year end are added together.
- "My children must each wait 5 years." Not from 8 October 2026 — HC 584 lets applicants under 18 at the date of application settle without completing their own 5 years.
Questions fréquentes
Five years of continuous residence with permission on the Hong Kong BN(O) route, or on a combination of the BN(O) route and other routes to settlement where the Immigration Rules allow the time to be combined. Your permission is granted for either 30 months or 5 years, so 30-month holders extend once before reaching the 5-year point.
No more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period, under Appendix Continuous Residence. It is a cumulative total of every day abroad in each 365-day window, so frequent trips back to Hong Kong add up in the same way as one long absence.
From 8 October 2026, no. Statement of Changes HC 584 amends Appendix Hong Kong BN(O) so that the 5-year continuous residence requirement applies unless the applicant is aged under 18 at the date of application. Dependent children can therefore settle alongside a parent without having completed their own 5 years.
No. Settlement comes first. Once you hold ILR you normally need to wait a further 12 months before applying to naturalise as a British citizen, and the separate citizenship absence limits apply over the 5 years before that application.
Adults aged 18 to 64 must pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English language requirement at level B1. Children under 18 and applicants aged 65 or over are not subject to these requirements.
Your continuous residence is broken, which delays settlement. Appendix Continuous Residence lets the Home Office disregard excess absence for permitted reasons such as serious illness, conflict, natural disaster, travel disruption or compelling compassionate circumstances, but you must provide evidence and the discretion is not automatic.
Cette règle est suivie automatiquementdans
Bounded
- Suit automatiquement vos jours pour cette règle
- Vous prévient avant qu'une absence ne mette votre statut en danger
- Compte correctement les jours d'arrivée et de départ
- Fonctionne avec vos autres règles de visa, de fiscalité et de résidence
Sources
Règles associées
À titre informatif uniquement. Cette page est un résumé simplifié de règles publiquement disponibles ; elle ne constitue pas un conseil fiscal, juridique ou en matière d'immigration. Les règles évoluent et dépendent de votre situation personnelle — vérifiez toujours auprès de la source officielle ci-dessus et d'un professionnel qualifié avant d'agir.