More than 100 Malaysian Chinese, who have become “human footballs” without nationality due to a change in immigration rules, protested Monday outside the Home Office in London.

“Where is our home?” and “We refuse to be international orphans!” were two of the banners held by the Malaysian Chinese and their supporters, who marched from Westminster Abbey to the Home Office at about 1 pm Monday.

Some of more than 500 Malaysian British Overseas Citizens (BOCs), most of them from Penang and Malacca and who had renounced their Malaysian citizenship, now find themselves stateless as they are not entitled to British citizenship.

According to China News Service, these former Malaysians obtained BOC status autonomously by virtue of being born in the former British colonies of Penang and Malacca before 1983, following an amendment to the British Nationality Act, which created a residual BOC category.

“We are victims of limbo,” the protesters declared, finding themselves in a quandary after being misled into giving up their Malaysian passports as a route toward acquiring British citizenship, according to thestar.com.my website.

By not allowing dual nationality, the Malaysian government considers these BOCs to be British citizens, but they are not recognized by the British government.

Since 2007, the Home Office began to decline permanent residency applications from BOCs, which shut the doors to them becoming British citizens.

These BOCs became stateless “human footballs,” whose basic human rights, such as the right to work and marriage, are no longer guaranteed, the Chinese-language website stnn.cc reported.

They are not able to return to Malaysia as residents, but only with a tourist visa valid for a limited period of time. Once the visa expires, they will be sent back to the UK, where they could be sent to refugee camps since they are not British citizens.

A female protester said she came to the UK seven years ago. After her application for permanent residency was rejected in 2005, and she was unable to sleep well for four years. She has been unable to visit her parents in Malaysia, for fear of not being able to return to the UK due to her non-identity.

A six-member delegation later presented a letter to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas’ private secretary, Oliver Ferrari, seeking a meeting with the minister to look into the plight of the Malaysian BOCs.

“The BOCs have been poorly advised, causing them to live in destitution, fear and exploitation,” said Edmond Yeo, the London Chinese Information and Advice Centre’s Malaysian chairman councilor.

Newly married Lim, who is one of those affected, said he felt sad that he could not go on his honeymoon in Paris despite being married nine months ago. “We’ve saved money for the trip, but it’s still a dream as I am stranded in Britain.”

“It’s been a living nightmare,” he said, recalling his experience of being detained for overstaying and spending 18 days in four detention centers after his BOC passport, his Malaysian driving license and passport were seized by the Home Office two years ago.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be arrested or thrown into a detention center on my next visit,” Lim said.