Arriving without the medical

[lovelife]

Does anyone have any idea if i can do the physical examination in china after arriving there and then get my student visa.

basically this is my situation: i applied for the scholarship but i didn't really hold my breath on it, so i did a tourist visa for China a month ago and went travelling around europe with the idea that if i didn't win the scholarship i'd still go on to china on a tourist visa and then sign up and pay for a chinese course myself.

much to my surprise i was selected for the scholarship, so now it seems i have to go all the way back to the uk just so i can do a medical and a student visa. something i'm really not keen on doing, cos its gonna cost quite a lot, considering i'm in eastern europe at the moment.

so basically when the scholarship documents arrive i am thinking of getting someone to sent them to me wherevere i am at that moment, fly to china, and sort out a medical and a student visa there. would that work, or should i play it safe and go back to the uk to do everything there?

Also, how long will it take for this medical to be done. can i enroll without it or is it a must in order to be enrolled.

[Keown]

@lovelife, when I went to China no one cared about my medical I did in my home country, they haven't even looked at it. I wouldn't do that in the UK, it costs hundreds of pounds, right...? I am not sure whether you can change tourist visa, but I don't think that would be a huge problem, maybe more paperwork...

[lovelife]

@Keown, so did you have to do it all over again in China, or was it not necessary at all. My biggest concern is that if they want me to have registered at the end of the first week of september i may not have enough time to sort it out there since i'm landing on the 29th of aug.

[trevelyan]

You might want to see if you can apply for an F-visa instead of an X-visa. It's easier to switch to other visa types in-country and doesn't require a medical exam. You should be able to get a six-month F visa without too much hassle, even if you are planning to study in China.

Unless you're committing to a full year the student visa is somewhat overkill, and even then you can always try for a multiple-entry F visa.

[m000gle]

Assuming the consulate back home is not requiring you present your medical forms to them in order to process a visa, you should be fine applying for the F/X visa at any consulate overseas without your medical documentation. These results are not normally needed for a visa, but instead for converting an X-visa into a residence permit. Usually, when you register at the school they will require your medical test results for verification (i.e. rubber stamp), but also provide a medical exam at minimal charge for those whose forms are incomplete or who don't have them. The real dilemma is what will happen should something untoward appear on your results while already in China.

Granted, the odds are low you would be removed from the program, but I'm not someone who would personally like to risk it.

[Keown]

Yeah, I did my medicals industriously in my country, then when I arrived to China I had to do everything again... A bus came to the campus, I paid 400 RMB, and a few days later a medical came in... While my original documents were in my desk, lying useless... So if I were you I wouldn't bother doing them. Just ask an F Visa, and you will arrange to change it to residence permit later

[lovelife]

Thank you guys. I think i'm just gonna fly to china and then worry about it all then.