<span style="color: #222222;">A visa scheme to allow Hong Kong residents to come to the UK opened today, with some THREE LAKH people expected to apply. The visa, which is open to holders of a British National (Overseas) passport and their immediate dependents, will offer a fast track to UK citizenship.<br />''<br />''But the Chinese foreign ministry said it would no longer recognise the BNO passport as a travel document. The UK launched the new visa after China imposed a new security law. Beijing has previously warned the UK not to meddle in domestic issues.<br />''<br />''Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move honoured the UK's "profound ties of history and friendship" with the ex-British colony. The Home Office said,about 7,000 people from Hong Kong have already been allowed to settle in the UK since July.</span>