Lingnan Institute of Further Education

Programmes

Continuing Education Fund (CEF)

Eligibility and Procedures of Application for Reimbursement

Persons who meet the following criteria can apply for CEF:

  • Hong Kong residents who have the right of abode or the right to land or to remain in Hong Kong without restriction, i.e. “A” (right of abode), “R” (right to land) or “U” (remain in Hong Kong without restriction) should appear below the date of birth on the HK Smart Identity Card, or holders of One-way Permit from Mainland China. For details of the meaning of the symbols, please visit the website of the Immigration Department

  • Aged between 18 and 70 (i.e. before reaching the age of 71) both at the time when the CEF reimbursable course under application commences and at the time when an application for fee reimbursement is submitted, which should be within one year upon the successful completion of the CEF reimbursable course. (The upper age limit has been removed for courses commenced after 1 August 2022)  Late applications will not be accepted.

  • Have successfully completed* and paid the tuition fee for the CEF reimbursable course; and

  • Have not obtained any other public funds or assistance under any other publicly-funded financial assistance schemes for the same course.

 

 

Reimbursement Procedures:

 

  • Applications for fee reimbursement for CEF course(s) must be submitted within one year upon the successful completion of the courses*. Late applications will not be accepted.

 

 

*      "Successful completion" of a course means that an applicant has attended no less than 70% of the contactable hours of the course or such higher attendance requirement as prescribed for the course (whichever is higher) and attained an overall mark of either 50% or such higher percentage of assessment(s) as prescribed for the course (whichever is higher) as assessed by whichever method approved by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare (including any examination and assignment requirements with approved weighting).

 

 

By post or over the counter (Paper-based application)

  1. Applicants may submit the completed original application form [SFO 313 (2025)] with copies of the supporting documents [One-way permit (if applicable), the front page of his / her bank passbook or bank statement showing the name, account number and bank name / bank code, result of benchmark test / examination and benchmark test / examination fees receipts (if applicable)] to OCEF by post or in person.
  2. Please refer to the “Continuing Education Fund Guidance Notes for Application” [SFO 312_E (2024)] before filling in the form.  The CEF Institutional Code of Lingnan Institute of Further Education is “104”. 

  3. Complete the CEF Application Form with the following information:
    (a) CEF Course;
    (b) CEF Course Title;
    (c) Commencement Date;
    (d) Course Completion Date;
    (e) Date of 1st Instalment of Tuition Fee Paid; and
    (f) Actual Amount of Tuition Fee Paid

     

OCEF’s address:

Units 07-11, 25/F., CDW Building,  388 Castle Peak Road,  Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays), 8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 5:45pm.

Applicants may also place their applications in the drop-in boxes. Please refer to the OCEF’s website for information.

 

 

Online application through “eWFSFAA” (Electronic application)

Applicants may also complete and submit the online application form through “eWFSFAA” (ewfsfaa.gov.hk). Applicants who did not use “iAM Smart+” for digital signing in the online submission of the application form are required to print out a hard copy of the form and sign the Declaration in Part D and submit the printed form with original signature to the OCEF within one month after online submission in order to be considered as a valid application. Applicants using “iAM Smart+” for digital signing are not required to submit the printed copy of application form to the OCEF.

 

LIFE has established a complaint handling mechanism for course participants to file their complaints related to CEF courses.  Details will be provided to course participants in writing upon request.  If course participants have any enquiries or complaints related to CEF Courses, please write directly to [email protected].


Enquiries
For enquiries about the CEF Scheme, please contact the OCEF (24-hour enquiry hotline: 3142 2277, handled by the staff of “1823” / email: [email protected] / website: https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/cef/en/contact.htm). 

CEF Enhancements

The following new enhancement measures of the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) have been implemented on 1 August 2022 –

 

  • increase of the CEF subsidy ceiling from $20,000 to $25,000 per person;
  • the co-payment ratio by learners (i.e. the percentage of course fee to be borne by learners) for the first $10,000 subsidy remains to be 20% of the course fee, and that for the remaining $15,000 subsidy is 40% of the course fee; and
  • removal of the upper age limit for CEF applicants.


Points to note:

The new enhancement measures are applicable only for courses commencing on or after 1 August 2022.
A “Subsidy Calculator” is available on the CEF website to facilitate applicants’ estimation of the amount of subsidy they are eligible for and the course fee to be borne by them.
For details about the CEF Enhancement Measures and calculation of subsidy, please visit:

 

CEF Webpage
https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/cef/en/news/news_20220801.htm#annex

Statement of Consent and Acknowledgement

Applicants wishing to apply for the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) Reimbursement (if applicable) must complete the CEF "Statement of Consent and Acknowledgement" ​and submit the original to LIFE for processing before or on the course commencement date.