How to make the best use of the Continuing Education Fund enhancement measures?

Want to pursue further education but don’t have the extra money? The government has your back. The Continuing Education Fund was launched in 2002 aiming to encourage adults to continue pursuing further education by providing a subsidy for eligible individuals. Good news is, on 1 April 2019, some enhancement measures of CEF will be implemented to expand the scope of CEF to encourage more people to skill up themselves. Even if you are not a permanent HK resident, as long as you have the right of abode, right to land or to remain in Hong Kong without restriction, you can also enjoy the CEF. Here are some more details.

Details of the enhancement measures

Increasing subsidy ceiling from $10,000 to $20,000 per applicant
Reactivating closed CEF accounts so that unused balance can be used in addition to the new $10,000
Applicants can only use the $10,000 from the enhancement measures after they use up the original $10,000. For the original scheme, applicants have to pay 20% of the tuition fee. For the extra $10,000 from the enhancement measures, applicants have to pay 40% of the tuition
Increasing the upper age limit for applicants from 65 to 70
Expanding the scope of CEF courses to all eligible courses registered in Qualifications Register (QR). Check here to see if your course is covered
No more restrictions on the validity period or the number of claims for CEF accounts, meaning you can apply for unlimited courses before you are 71
Applicants no longer have to open a CEF account before the start of the course. They also have to submit reimbursement claims in 1 year after completion of the course
Enhancing the quality assurance monitoring of CEF courses

How much can I get?

(A) = Amount from the original plan

(B) = Amount from the enhancement measures

I have never used my CEF

Reimbursement = （A）$10,000 + （B）$1,500 = （C）$11,500