Hong Kong students in the UK should be allowed to qualify for British citizenship
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The proposal would act as an incentive to students to remain in
the UK after the conclusion of their studies in order to complete
the qualifying period for settlement and subsequently for
citizenship.
The Government's policy by contrast is directed
towards encouraging qualified people to remain in or return to Hong
Kong.
To allow students from Hong Kong to count towards settlement time
spent here while studying would have unacceptable implications for
the Government's policy of keeping primary immigration to a minimum.
It would also be unfair to British Nationals coming here from other
parts of the world.
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It is already the case that if a person achieves settled status
and applies for citizenship, periods of time spent here as a student
can be counted towards meeting the residence requirements for
citizenship.