Coming over on a tourist visa, I hope this works...

[studymandrn]

I have pretty much run out of time because of a June 30 deadline for applications for the September semester, so I have paid for a roundtrip ticket and I will come over on a tourist visa and pray the university can convert my visa to a long term residence visa.

I have done searches on this fourm and the internet, and I have spoken with the schools, and with embassies, and it is about 50/50 yes they can convert, no they can't convert.

So once I arrive in a couple of weeks I will post a definitive yes or no, although I have also been told by the embassy that it depends on which province you are in because different provinces or local offices will or won't allow the conversion, depending on the school.

I do have one question. When I give the university the info to apply for the visa, I assume that means I won't have any paperwork to be able to travel? So that means I am stuck in town not able to go anywhere waiting to see if it will or will not even work?

Does anyone know if I can still travel? If I have to wait for an answer, does anyone know roughly how long the process will take? I have heard from 2-14 days and everything in between.

Thanks

[imron]

You need your passport in order to legally check-in to a hotel. If you have handed this over to the school for them to sort out a new visa, this will make it difficult to go traveling. I also once had issues at a train station in a small town where they didn't want to let me board the train because I didn't have any identification with me (I'd only gone on a day trip, and hadn't taken my passport with me).

So, although traveling without your passport will not necessarily be impossible (if for example you stay with someone you know rather than in a hotel, and steer clear of small town train stations), it probably isn't a wise idea.

Also, I can't imagine the whole new visa process taking less than week, however it probably won't take more than a month.

[roddy]

Getting the residence permit is meant to take about a week I think, but I know my passport was gone for a month or so. The school said this was longer than usual, but they were unwilling to bother the PSB about it.

When you hand your passport directly for the PSB (ie for a tourist visa extension) you should get a receipt with your details on. Technically this should allow you to do everything a passport does - take flights, stay in hotels,go to the bank, etc. However, the chances are nobody will be aware of this and you'll be constantly explaining the situation to people. It is also possible to board flights without any identification - I know people have been allowed on after forgetting their passport - but it'd be a hassle and I wouldn't want to rely on it.

Also, if you are giving your passport to your school, which is then giving it to the PSB, you won't get that receipt - the school might have it and be able to give it to you, but they probably won't want to.

[studymandrn]

Thanks for the fast info, I may just have to change my mind again based on that. I finally received a response from a university, but it was after I purchased the airline tickets, and I had to purchase them early to give enough time to get there before the deadlines. But I justified doing it because I could at least make a trip out of it, but if I am just going to be sitting in my hotel from 1-4 weeks (I don't want to chance any hassles), then it makes more sense if the university is finally responding that I just eat the airline cancellation fee (again) and see how far I can get.

Thanks!

[studymandrn]

Latest update. I spoke with the uni again and they had me confused with someone else, they never received my application, so I am flying over as a tourist to apply. If it doesn't work I will get a nice month vacation and come home and try something else.

[tony1343]

I traveled in China with my brother and his Chinese wife. He forgot his passport. The very nice hotel owned by the government wouldn't let us stay there (this was maybe by the Lake not too far from Suzhou I think). So we found a shady little unlicensed taxi who took us to another hotel that was fine with us just giving one passport (mine).

Then I stayed at a lot of other hotels* (asterisk because I'm not sure if they should be considered hotels; hot water for only an hour a day, etc), and they never asked me for my passport. I never carried my passport unless I was traveling to a different city.

I'm sure you can get around. Anyone else have any opinions? You might just get yelled at (that happened to me when I was in Italy and didn't have my passport).

[studymandrn]

Thanks, but because I am applying to study long term I do not want to do anything questionable to complicate my status.

[yonglin]

So we found a shady little unlicensed taxi who took us to another hotel that was fine with us just giving one passport (mine).

Actually, I stayed with my boyfriend in many, many hotels where they never cared to see both of our passports (from different countries actually). Only a few hotels asked to see both of our passports, and a couple were really strict and even had us fill in the police form ourselves (this might have been because they didn't know how to write 瑞典 in Chinese though: at one place the check-in lady was too embarrassed to ask me that her colleague had to come up to me later in the lobby...)

It might be more of an issue if you're travelling on your own, however. It's an experience staying in places which are not really hotels in the countryside though. You need to do that too, some time.

[studymandrn]

never mind...

[amphivera]

Wait...I'm very confused. If we want a student visa for the Fall 08 semester we need to apply for the visa by June 30? I got the JW202 form from the University I was accepted to but was going to wait a bit since I won't be able to get out of the country (China - I'm working here right now) for a few weeks. Can someone clarify this? I'm not sure if I understand the original post, and it's making me very worried!

[studymandrn]

No, I had to have my university application filled out by June 30th. I had mailed it but no word and I was running out of time, so I was going over to do it in person.

You are perfectly fine, you already have your JW202.

I never received mine in time so I applied for a multiple entry 12 month visa and got it with no problem, now I will travel there and work on the residency permit.