(Bloomberg) -- The number of Hong Kongers applying for a visa that provides a pathway to U.K. citizenship continues to fall. 

The decline comes after authorities made it more difficult to move pension savings out of the region. Some people using the route found themselves unable to take their retirement money with them, Bloomberg reported in August, as China cracks down on the city’s freedoms.

There were 24,000 applications for the British National (Overseas) in the third quarter compared with about 34,300 in the three months through January and about 30,600 in the second quarter, the latest government data show.  

The visa was drawn up amid concerns in London about the imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong, a former British colony. Officials had estimated that more than 320,000 people could take up the offer in its first five years.

The visa to remain in the U.K. for five years costs 3,370 pounds ($4,500). Successful applicants must also pay a health-care surcharge and show they have enough funds to house and feed themselves for six months.

Read more: The British Passport Stoking Controversy in Hong Kong: QuickTake

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