Permanent resident routes for eligible Hong Kong, British National Overseas passport holders forthcoming

IMPACT – MEDIUM

The Australian government has announced that two new permanent resident visa streams for Hong Kong and British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders will be launched on March 5, 2022.

Subclass 191 – the Hong Kong (regional) stream. To be eligible individuals must:

• Be the primary visa holder who was usually living in Australia for three continuous years immediately before applying.
• Have lived, worked and studied exclusively in a designated regional area for the three continuous years.
• Have held a qualifying visa during the three-year period.
• Hold a Hong Kong or BNO passport.

Subclass 189 – the Hong Kong stream. To be eligible individuals must:

• Be the primary visa holder who was usually living in Australia for four continuous years immediately before applying.
• Have held a qualifying visa during the four-year period.
• Hold a Hong Kong or BNO passport.

Additional Information: For those whose qualifying visas were extended for five years on July 9, 2020, time spent on that visa before the extension will count towards the three-year living requirement. There is no requirement to meet an income threshold for the three years before applying for the Hong Kong (regional) stream. Primary and secondary applicants must also meet the relevant health requirements.

BAL Analysis: Eligible Hong Kong and BNO passport holders will benefit from the two new permanent resident visa streams in spring 2022. BAL will continue to monitor developments of these visa streams and will provide more information as it becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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