This is why a Chinese-American with Hong Kong identity can’t get his $150,000 pension after waiting for 10 years…

currenthong kong ID cards and US passports may seem like benefits, but sometimes they bring inconvenience. A person with a Hong Kong ID card and dual citizenship of the United States and TaiwanSugar Now facing the difficulty of returning to mainland China. What’s worse, he has been waiting for 10 years to receive a sum of about HK$1.2 million (about US$153,000) from the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), which he deposited into his retirement account in Hong Kong in the early days. Hong Kong immigrants who have long moved to the United States are facing the dilemma of identity and retirement security. Some industry insiders also pointed out that residents with US citizenship and Hong Kong identification are required to give up their Hong Kong identification when applying for a Chinese visa for the first time.

David Xu, a Chinese citizen of Southern California, lamented the difficulty of Hong Kong people’s transition to the United States. He said he has not been to mainland China for a long time. He is a US citizen and holds a Hong Kong ID card, but his return permit has expired. He originally wanted to use his Taiwanese passport to apply for a Taiwan compatriot permit to mainland China, but the official asked him to return to Hong Kong to apply for a return permit. However, it took at least a week too long to return to Hong Kong to apply for a return permit, so he gave up. What troubles them most is not the issue of home return permit, but the issue of collecting compulsory provident fund. The Hong Kong government helps people invest in a mandatory provident fund, which they can withdraw when they retire or leave Hong Kong permanently, but it took 10 years to get the money back.

He said that first, because the English name on his American passport was different from the Chinese name on his Hong Kong ID card, he was asked to swear that he was himself and that he would not return to Hong Kong to work in the future. He originally wanted to give the authorization to his insurance company friends, but the government said he would have to return to Hong Kong in person to take the oath. He had to return to Hong Kong to be sworn in, but after being sworn in, he was asked to provide information about the last fund company he managed before leaving Hong Kong, but after so many years, he did not remember this information at all. The most humiliating thing is that he tried to log in to MPFA’s EPA (Electronic Personal Account Inquiry Service) using his name and ID card, but was unable to log in. As a result, he no longer knows how much money is in his account. The HK$1.2 million originally deposited may have become more, or it may have become less, as the government is investing. Now he is of retirement age and has not worked or lived in Hong Kong for many years, but he still cannot get MPF.

Mr. Chen, a Chinese who specializes in helping people apply for Chinese visas, said that since June this year, among the cases he has handled, Chinese Americans with Hong Kong ID cards are required to give up their Hong Kong identification when applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, in order to apply for a Chinese visa valid for 10 years. This surrender process is not complicated, but it does require you to return to Hong Kong in person, so it will cost you at least a round-trip air ticket. If you are not willing to give up your Hong Kong identity, you can use the Home Return Permit (issued specifically for Hong Kong and Macao residents, and the official name is Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents) to visit Mainland China. However, the Home Return Permit is also valid for 10 years. Renewal requires returning to Hong Kong, which not only costs money, but also takes a long time to process. Under normal circumstances, it takes 12 working days to obtain a new home return permit. If you want to expedite it by five business days, you will need to apply for an expedited application.

He said if such people want to return to China, another way is to use the 240-hour transit visa exemption to enter mainland China. But if you feel that 10 days is not enough, you can simply apply for a Chinese visa or return permit. In addition, if you have a valid Hong Kong passport, you can apply for a travel permit to the United States, and you can stay in mainland China for two years.

Mr Lu, a Chinese, has just returned from Hong Kong to apply for a return home permit. He said Hong Kong immigrants in general rarely choose to apply for a Chinese visa when visiting mainland China. Most of them apply for a return home permit. Like this time, he returned to Hong Kong specifically to renew his return home permit. They remind you to make an appointment online in advance. If you hurry up, you can get it in five days for just over 600 Hong Kong dollars. If your Home Return Permit is lost or expired in Hong Kong, or you have not applied for a Home Return Permit and you need to return to mainland China urgently, you can apply for a Temporary Home Return Permit valid for three months for single entry and exit through the mobile APP, China Travel Service in Hong Kong or through the port.