Welcome to the East of England
Our Strategic Priorities
In the East of England our strategic priorities are to:
- Provide opportunities for BN(O) status holders and their dependants to mix with people of all backgrounds, to reduce isolation, build relationships and improve community cohesion.
- Identify those BN(O) status holders or their dependants who need help to learn English well enough to manage daily life in the UK on an independent basis and provide formal and informal learning opportunities for them.
- Assess the readiness of BN(O) status holders to enter the UK job market (including self-employment) and facilitate access to employment preparation activities.
- Ensure any instances of destitution and/or underemployment in the BN(O) status holder cohort are identified early, so this can be minimised and addressed through effective support services.
- Build capacity of organisations to give locally based advice, whilst maximising opportunities to extend that support across the region as and when needed, using digital services where appropriate.
- Highlight opportunities across the East of England and support BN(O) status holders who are struggling to find suitable accommodation/schools/work in their local area to consider widening their search in the region.
- Support both resident communities and BN(O) status holders and their dependants to feel safe and welcome, including providing advice and guidance on tackling hate crime in a timely manner, with follow-up support offered.
National Welcome Pack and Other Hubs
National Information
The UK government has provided a guide for BN(O) visa holders which contains lots of helpful information to help you access public services and make the most of opportunities in the UK.
They have also produced a helpful Welcome Pack.
Other Regions
Each of the 12 regions in the UK will have a Welcome Hub.
Map of the 12 regions: SMP_UK_map.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
London: Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) – BN(O) visa | London City Hall
South East: Hong Kong British Nationals Overseas – South East Strategic Partnership for Migration (southeastspm.org.uk)
South West: Home – South West Councils (swcouncils.gov.uk)
East Midlands: East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership (emcouncils.gov.uk)
West Midlands: WMSMP – Providing local support and strategic leadership
Yorkshire and Humber: Welcome to Yorkshire and Humber! Information for Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) (migrationyorkshire.org.uk)
North East: Hong Kong Welcome Hub – North East Migration Partnership | North East Migration Partnership (nemp.org.uk)
North West: Hong Kong BN(O) – North West Regional Strategic Migration Partnership (northwestrsmp.org.uk)
Wales: Wales Strategic Migration Partnership – WLGA
Scotland: Home | COSLA Strategic Migration Partnership (migrationscotland.org.uk)
Northern Ireland: Strategic Migration Partnership | NILGA