In January 2021, the British government launched the BNO “Leave to Remain” visa scheme. Since then, more than 100,000 Hong Kong people have emigrated to the UK. Some British Hong Kong residents pointed out that they cannot withdraw their MPF (Mandatory Provident Fund) savings in Hong Kong, which has attracted much attention. Recently, some organizations have calculated that financial service institutions withheld about HK$21.5 billion (US$2.73 billion) of MPF savings from Hongkongers who have emigrated to the UK through the BNO visa scheme.
British-based NGO “Hong Kong Watch,” which has been consistently concerned about the human rights situation in Hong Kong, published a research report on April 17. It pointed out that according to the letter sent by a Hong Kong bank to the concerned Hong Kong people on the BNO visa scheme, it said the bank followed the Hong Kong government’s guidelines to the MPF Authority (MPFA). And according to the guidelines, those individuals (on the BNO visa scheme) are not allowed to withdraw their MPF funds “in advance.”
