The anti-immigration wave sweeping Britain isn't slowing down. In fact, it's getting worse. Even Labour—supposedly the left-wing party—is now racing rightward alongside Reform UK, building barrier after barrier to slash citizenship numbers. Friends are calling it a real-life "Squid Game," where anyone trying to settle in the UK faces brutal screening just to get through.
Britain just raised the English bar—and thousands of Hong Kong BNO holders might not clear it.
For those Hong Kong BNO holders, they're wondering if they'll be spared or if that blade hanging overhead is about to drop. The government's latest bombshell: raising English requirements for specific visa categories from B1 to B2 level—that's A-Level standard, university-level English. If this gets extended to permanent residency and citizenship down the line, plenty of Hong Kong BNO holders with "secondary school English" are going to fail. Young Hong Kong people who recently moved over are already venting online, terrified they won't pass and will be forced back, so they're cramming English courses like their lives depend on it.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently laid out the details of this "Squid Game," and each round is more brutal than the last. Earlier, at the Labour Party conference, she made it clear: permanent residency applicants need a job, must pay national insurance, can't claim benefits, and have to be fluent in English to prove their "value and contribution." If they enforce this strictly, masses of people won't make the cut.
This Wednesday, she went even further with concrete requirements. She announced that three "specific visa" categories—Skilled Worker visas, Scale-up Worker visas, and High Potential Individual visas—now require B2 level English, equivalent to A-Level standard. And as Mahmood emphasized, “If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part.” She didn't say whether future permanent residency applications would also need this threshold, but British media previously reported that to push immigrant integration, those granted permanent residence would need higher English proficiency too.
The whole direction is clear: reduce permanent resident numbers. Following this logic, there's no reason to think these harsh measures won't eventually hit Hong Kong BNO holders applying for permanent residency.
Right now, Hong Kong people living in the UK on BNO visas can apply for permanent residency after five years, then citizenship one year later. Their English just needs to hit B1 level—enough to handle daily life. But if the requirement jumps to B2, they'll need to understand complex texts, write proper articles, and articulate viewpoints clearly. Immigrants with average educational backgrounds are going to struggle hard with that standard.
The Panic Sets In
Sure, it's not confirmed yet whether these tough measures will target Hong Kong BNO holders, but those with weaker English are already experiencing full-blown "failure panic."
A post-90s young Hong Kong person who moved to the UK posted online earlier, admitting bluntly that after three years there, their English is only at UK primary school level—not even reaching the B1 level needed for permanent residency applications. Even if the government doesn't raise it to B2, they're worried about failing and being "forced back."
They pointed out that since coming to the UK on a BNO visa didn't require any English assessment, plenty of people are likely going to crash and burn when test time comes, wasting five years of their lives.
Another Hong Kong man also complained online about facing two major problems living in the UK. One of them: his poor English foundation means that even though a university accepted him, studying is brutally difficult. He struggles with assignments, can't keep up with the learning pace, and his grades are terrible, leaving him disheartened and considering going back to Hong Kong.
If this guy's English doesn't improve, his chances of clearing the even higher B2 barrier in the future are basically zero.
In fact, many Hong Kong migrants discover shortly after landing in the UK that insufficient English proficiency is a serious problem. Years ago, the "Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers" conducted a survey showing nearly half of respondents still hadn't found work, with many lacking confidence in their English ability, creating major obstacles in job hunting.
It's tough to estimate exactly how many Hong Kong migrants fall into this category, but there are probably quite a few. There should be plenty more like the two men mentioned above sharing similar struggles.
They're already trembling at the prospect of passing the B1 English requirement for permanent residency and citizenship applications. If the government raises that threshold even higher, the risk of "failure" skyrockets. No wonder some people are panicking.
No Way Out
The worst part? The Labour government is actively competing with Reform UK over who can be tougher on immigration policy to reverse its collapsing fortunes. So establishing more barriers to filter out immigrants is an unstoppable trend now.
The "Squid Game" is only going to get harder to play, and raising English proficiency thresholds is just one challenge in this brutal game.
People in this category have only two options: cram English like crazy, or plan an exit strategy early and bail out of the game altogether.
Lai Ting-yiu
What Say You?
What Say You?
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