Since 31 January 2021, BN(O) holders have been able to apply for limited leave to remain to live, work and study in the UK.

[2] The settlement scheme was launched after the imposition of the controversial 2020 national security law on Hong Kong by the Chinese Central government.

The UK considers the enactment of the National Security Law a clear violation of the one country, two systems principle guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an international binding treaty signed in 1984.

[3] BN(O) passports are currently issued in their latest biometric versions (as of 2020) and they bear the "electronic travel document symbol" () on the navy blue coloured cover.

The machine-readable zone starts with P

The pace substantially quickened after the UK government announced planned improvements into immigration and residency rights for BN(O) holders in July 2020, with 59,798 issued in October 2020 alone.

The British National (Overseas) status itself does not automatically grant the right of abode anywhere (including the United Kingdom and Hong Kong).

British Nationals (Overseas) enjoy visa-free access for up to six months as a visitor entering the United Kingdom.

The following statement is printed in BN(O) passports:In accordance with UK immigration rules the holder of this passport does not require an entry certificate or visa to visit the UK.BN(O) holders are however eligible to apply for limited leave to remain to live, work or study in the UK, with more favourable immigration conditions than being a visitor.

BN(O) passports issued between 30 March 2019 and 31 December 2020 (the UK's transition period for leaving the EU) contain the following observation:The Holder is not entitled to benefit from European Union provisions relating to employment or establishment.Since 31 January 2021, the HKSAR government no longer verifies the immigration status of BN(O) passport holders in Hong Kong.

[17] In the early years after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the issue of counterfeit British National (Overseas) passports aroused international attention and government scrutiny, as such passports were being manufactured and used by illegal immigrants from the mainland of the People's Republic of China, who wished to gain direct access to the United Kingdom by way of Hong Kong.

[21] Following media enquiries, several countries and regions announced that they would continue to recognise BN(O) passports, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Taiwan, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Finland and Norway.

As Commonwealth citizens, BN(O) holders who have leave to remain for longer than 6 months are eligible to register as a voter in the UK.

[26] BN(O) holders are currently ineligible to request the Registered Traveller service for using automatic e-gates at UK borders.

After continuous residence for five years, BN(O) holders, like those of other qualifying immigrants in the UK, are eligible to apply for settlement, officially called indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

Applicants must be born after 30 June 1997, and can bring their qualifying dependents to come to live, work or study in the UK with a route to settlement and citizenship.

As of 31 January 2021, BN(O) passports are no longer recognised as a legal travel document to enter or exit Hong Kong.

In addition, the Government of Hong Kong does not allow BN(O)s to renounce their Chinese citizenship pursuant to the nationality law of the People's Republic of China.

[38] In late March 2021, the Hong Kong government told 14 countries to stop accepting a BN(O) passport for an application for a working holiday visa.