Political situation
Written by: Wu Zhuoan
2021-03-25 17:25
Last update date: 2021-03-25 17:30
The British government launched the "BNO 5+1" program at the end of January, allowing BNO holders to apply for a visa to stay in the UK. The central government and the SAR government immediately countered and no longer recognized BNO as a travel document.
"Reuters" today (25th) quoted a number of diplomats saying that the Hong Kong government wrote to a number of foreign consulates in Hong Kong requesting to stop accepting BNO passports as documents for working holiday visa applications. The report quoted sources saying that multiple countries have indicated that Won't follow.
When the US Consulate in Hong Kong accepted the "Hong Kong 01" inquiry, it stated that Beijing and the government no longer recognize the BNO's decision, which does not prevent the US from recognizing BNO's policy guidelines, emphasizing that BNO can still be used to issue certificates and enter the United States.
"Hong Kong 01" is making inquiries with the Chief Executive's Office about the incident.
When the US Consulate in Hong Kong accepted the "01" inquiry, it said that Beijing and the government no longer recognize the BNO's decision, which does not prevent the US from recognizing BNO's policy guidelines, and emphasized that BNO can still be used to issue certificates and enter the United States.
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The Hong Kong government currently signs Working Holiday agreements with 14 countries
The Hong Kong government currently has agreements with the governments of New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, South Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy on bilateral arrangements for working holiday plans.
The Reuters report quoted information saying that the Hong Kong government wrote about 12 foreign consulates, stating that Hong Kong no longer recognizes BNO as a travel document since January 31 this year, and requests to stop accepting BNO passports as documents for applying for working holiday visas. .
The Hong Kong government currently has agreements with the governments of New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, South Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy on bilateral arrangements for working holiday plans.
US State Department: BNO can still be used to issue visas
The report quoted responses from many countries. Among them, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand indicated that they still confirmed BNO. The US State Department responded to "Reuters" stating that the United States still recognizes BNO as a document for visa applications.
The report also quoted a senior western diplomat saying that he believed that most countries ignored the Hong Kong government's request, and pointed out that the Hong Kong government has no right to require any country to accept which passports, and another diplomat said that his move was close to provocation (bordering on belligerent). .
When the US Consulate in Hong Kong accepted the "01" inquiry, it said that Beijing and the government no longer recognize the BNO's decision, which does not prevent the US from recognizing BNO's policy guidelines, and emphasized that BNO can still be used to issue certificates and enter the United States.
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