6-month F visa duration and number of entries

[zhouhana]

I'm going to study Mandarin for one year at a private language school in Xiamen and will receive an invitation from the school to use when I apply for an F visa.

I'm a little confused, though, and haven't yet received answers to all my questions from the school. They say I could probably get a six month F visa. I asked the Chinese Visa Center in my country (Sweden) and they told me that unless the invitation is from an official authority (which this is not) it's hard to get a one year F visa, and that I would need proof of two previous entries in my passport within the last year in order to get more than a double entry F visa. I've also asked some visa agencies and one of them could offer a six month visa with which I'd need to leave and reenter the country once a month. I guess that would be a multi entry visa, then -- otherwise I don't get how I would be able to leave and reenter the country once a month for six months. I guess what I'm wondering is if there is like a standard duration (like 30 or 60 days) and/or a standard number of entries (1, double or multi) that goes with the six month F visa. It'd be both time consuming and expensive for me to have to leave the country every four weeks. So if you could please shed some light on what the deal usually is like with six month F visas regarding that, I'd be happy! Thanks!

[fanglu]

My advice would be to see what is written on the documents from the school once you get them. If you are happy with what they say then take them to the consulate and apply. They will tell you first if they are going to give you something totally different to what is written I expect.

If all else fails you can probably get a 12 month multi-entry tourist visa, with two months stay each entry - just apply for it at the consulate. A trip to Hong Kong from Xiamen every two months can't be that expensive.

[abcdefg]

If all else fails you can probably get a 12 month multi-entry tourist visa, with two months stay each entry - just apply for it at the consulate.

Ask for three months stay each entry instead of two. Though I don't know about Sweden, such a visa easy to get in the US, especially if you have been to China before.

[jbradfor]

Excuse my ignorance, but is an F-visa really appropriate for this? As least for the China embassy in the USA:

Business Visa (F Visa) is issued to an alien who is invited to China for a visit, an investigation, a lecture, to do business, scientific-technological and culture exchanges, short-term advanced studies or internship for a period of no more than six months.

[laowang]

Hi I suggest you apply for an official school which can send you the JW 202. Then you can apply for an F 180 days or an X student visa. It will be troublesome to use the L short visa to do a long term study.

In China private school normally can not help you to get the JW 202 official document. You can do a short course less than 90 days. Otherwise you have to use the official university.

If you insisit on attending this private school, then you probably to use an L visa and each time when it expires, you haveto go to Hongkong to get a new L visa. Anyhow Xiamen is not too far from Hongkong. You have probably pay the trip to Hongkong and a new L visa for more than 1500 rmb (230 usd).

[fanglu]

probably to use an L visa and each time when it expires, you haveto go to Hongkong to get a new L visa.

Unless you get a multi-entry visa, in which case you just leave and reenter, and don't need to get a new L (tourist) visa.

[darumdarum]

my friend got a one year L Visa in the US, but only 90 days each stay, so he has to leave every 3 months. Shouldnt be so bad from Xiamen though.

Didnt they give you information at the school? They should know, shouldnt they?

[tortue]

If you are looking for numbers, only experiences from people using the same passport at the same embassy/consulate as you will can give you an idea here, if they are not too long time ago.

Other than that I just can add that once I got a longer validity granted than stated in the (officially stamped） letter by just putting the number i wanted (90 instead of 30 days) in the application. But this was with a considerable chinese visa history in my passport, my first attempt to do so while it still was virgin failed.

[zhouhana]

Thank you all for your replies. I realize my question wasn't very clear and also that the rules are complex and seem to vary, so I appreciate your trying to help me. I wanted to wait with replying until I got the visa as to not confuse even more.

I ended up with a 90 days F visa because my invitation apparently wasn't good enough (i.e. not detailed enough about my visa needs as a student in the specific program and not stamped by the goverment), so I guess I will have to go to Hong Kong after that period to get a new one. After I complained to the school about the undetailed invitation (by this time I'd already payed for the visa, though) I got this back:

"Our government won't stamp for our invitation letter. Pls ask your local visa center if I change the invitation letter to " 2 entry and each entry 90 days max." , will they agree on this? Because another men is now applying for visa, and his local visa center asked him to do so."

Good to know for anyone else planning to study at a private Mandarin language school: Make sure the invitation letter actually specifies the entries and duration you're looking to get. I thought the school had written a thousand invitations before and knew what to include for me to get the best visa, but apparently not.

If you'd like to know what a not detailed enough invitation looks like, here's mine:

"... School is pleased to invite ... from ..., with passport number ... to our school in Xiamen for purpose of experiencing Chinese culture from August 1st 2011 until January 31st 2012.

... should obtain a F-visa from her local Chinese consulate and will be responsible for all costs of travel once in China."

[abcdefg]

I ended up with a 90 days F visa

Do you mean you received a single entry visa with the total duration of stay being 90 days? The reason I'm trying to understand this clearly is that if you actually have a multiple entry six month visa with 90 day stays, there are more convenient options than Hong Kong for just getting a new re-entry stamp. On the other hand if you need an entirely new visa after 90 days, that's a different matter.

May I ask what language school in Xiamen you will be attending? I have thought of Xiamen as a study destination, but could not find out much about private schools there. I read your earlier post, but it doesn't say which school you finally chose.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/32152-private-mandarin-language-schools-in-xiamen/page__p__244967#comment-244967

[zhouhana]

I and my family only got one entry. I have heard that one can go to Kinmen to get a stamp for another period, but, yes, we will need entirely new visas unfortunately.

I ended up choosing Mandarin Fun after someone told me it was good. Unless it's a really great school I will also try to visit one or more other language schools in Xiamen for comparison. I'll be sure to write up a review of Mandarin Fun when I've gotten to know it. I'll also write about our first impressions with it in our travel blog at http://www.nodeworthy.com/xiamen-blog/

[abcdefg]

Thanks. Kinmen Island was what I had in mind.