Convert Tourist Visa to Study Visa

[jdmkoch]

Regardless of the visa to RP you are trying to switch to, once your passport is in the possession of PSB you are legal regardless if you pass your 30 days or visa expires. If you go through the process on your own (I have) the PSB will issue a yellow receipt with a date given and date for pick up. In between those dates, I have personally used it for, purchasing train tickets, riding trains and staying in hotels (never tried a domestic flight though). The key here is to APPLY WITH A VALID VISA, RP, OR WITHIN 30 DAYS. Even one day late and the PSB will not (guanxi withstanding) accept your application and issue a 10 day exit visa (I had trouble transferring my RP between jobs and received the 10 day exit visa so I know the process well!). At this time you become subject to the 500 kuai a day penalty for overstaying to a maximum of 10,000 kuai.  Key here guys is leave your school plenty of time to turn you passport over to the PSB with the various papers.

[JessicaRos]

Hi,

I'm have a question about converting L-visa into X2 visa. I'm currently in Japan studying and I found out that I where accepted to a summercourse in Shanghai during my time here in Japan, so i didn't apply for any X2 visa in my homecountry but I have a valid L-visa for China. The day after my course here in Japan ends my courses in China starts so I have no chance to go back to my homecountry to apply there. I tried to apply for the X2 visa here in Japan but you need to have a residet card to be able to apply and I'm only here in Japan for 11 week so I didn't get any resident card. So my question is can I enter China with my L-visa and convert it to a X2-visa when I have arrived??

// Jessica

[roddy]

Sorry you didn't get a quicker answer, Jessica. Have you found anything out? 

 

X2 visas are relatively new, and the best thing to do is to check with your school in China - they have a much better idea of what is possible. 

[Tianlongprc]

I was wondering if anyone has had luck converting a L visa to a X1 visa in China. I have read some things that say since 2013 you can not convert a L visa to a X type visa. Can anyone confirm this?

 

I contacted the Chinese consulate in Chicago and they said that they do not know. Tonight I will contact Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and ask them. 

[Matty]

Just reading through some documents: (lots of info here)

 

http://lawandborder.com/faq-new-china-visa-law/

 

I'm not really sure what "special situations" are. I assume if you call the PSB in the location and they say yes, then you should be fine.

 

24. Under what circumstances will a change from a short-term visa to a residence permit be permitted within China?

The general rule is that a person with a short-term visa, such as an L (tourism), M (business), or F (non-commercial visit) is not eligible to apply to change status to a residence permit within China. Instead, such a person must depart China to apply for a visa designated for intending residents, such as an X1 (long-term student), Z (work), Q1 (family reunion), or S1 (private affairs). In the past, exceptions have been made in “special situations.” See e.g., Rules for the Administration of Employment of Foreign Nationals in China, art. 7; Notice on Curbing Illegal Employment of Foreign Nationals in China.
Under the Exit-Entry Administration Law, persons in China with a short-term visa may apply for a residence permit if they have special talent, are investors, or have humanitarian needs and otherwise conform to State regulations. Application must be made to the exit-entry administration at or above the level of a multi-district city. (Art. 31).

Local policies provide further guidance. For example, under Beijing PSB procedures, to qualify for a residence permit for employment, an applicant who didn’t enter with a Z (work) visa must submit a certification by a Chinese government agency of being a high-level talent or a professional in urgent need in China.

[Ivvy]

Hi guys,

 

I'm looking to go to Shanghai International Studies University this summer to learn a little bit of Mandarin(only 5-6 weeks). Right now I have a flight, accomodation booked, an acceptance letter but unfortunately I have no JW202. As the university didn't provide the JW202 I instead applied for a 60 day tourist visa, which I have. My question is about how I should proceed. Expecting something to go wrong I booked a second appointment at the visa agency to get a visa, which I could do on Monday, but unless the university agree to email me a JW202 immediately It's unlikely to actually be useful.

 

How do I go about converting a tourist L visa to an X2? Would it be possible to just turn up at the university? Would it be a major issue my visa is only a tourist one as it will actually cover the entire time of my course?

Any advise is really appreciated!

 

Dan

[abcdefg]

#26 -- @ Ivvy -- So you already have a 60 day tourist visa, right? Did I understand correctly?

 

Would it be possible to just turn up at the university? Would it be a major issue my visa is only a tourist one as it will actually cover the entire time of my course?

 

 

That will probably work just fine. No issue at all. Taking 5 or 6 weeks of study on a tourist visa is often done and it causes no problems. I've done it myself more than once.

 

If you want more assurance, suggest phoning the school directly and asking. Don't go into a long, convoluted story, just ask whether or not you can take the course using a tourist visa. Simple questions get better answers in situations like this.

[Tianlongprc]

Well, I contacted the Beijing public security bureau and they said since the laws changed is 2013, you cannot change a L visa to another type.

[cabalin]

Is it confirmed that you can't change an L visa to an X visa? I called my uni today and they told me I could come with an L visa. I'm really afraid now cause they haven't sent the papers to me yet and they don't seem to be in a hurry at all. There's a risk that the papers won't arrive on time to make my X visa and catch the plane in the end of August. But what if I take the uni's advice, go there with an L visa and the public security office will tell me 没办法? Has anyone done this AFTER the alleged change of rules?

[roddy]

If your university is happy, I don't think you need to worry. They have a much better idea of what can and can't be done locally, and there can be a huge difference between what the PSB in Beijing will tell a random foreigner on the phone, and what they'll do for a major local university in Xiamen, or wherever you're going. 

 

Let us know what happens. 

[XuanWu]

 

Is it confirmed that you can't change an L visa to an X visa?

 

This applies to non-universities students like kung fu academies.I know this as i am my self in an academy like this and we no longer  can change from tourist visa to student X2 and we have to arrange that from our countries. They told us only universities from now on can do that(X1 visa).

[Johnny20270]

xuanWu, BICC can do it as far as I am aware. Thats what they told me anyway.  I could well be wrong  so best check with them directly!

[Matty]

My local PSB (Guangxi) told me they can convert an L visa to student visas. I think it really depends on the circumstances more than an outright no.

[rahul]

Hi everyone

I am planning letter from to learn kung fu for at least 5 months in China. i had got a invitation letter from one of the schools and applier for F visa in my home country India but was told to apply for X2 . But unfortunately none of the schools i have spoken to are able to provide JW202 ( which is required for X2 visa also in PRC embassy in India)

Is it possible to come on a L visa and get it converted to X2 in China

[cabalin]

Rahul, if they can't issue the JW202 form now, they probably won't issue it when you get there either. Actually, the JW202 is issued by local authorities, not by a school itself. And XuanWu wrote earlier that only universities could apply for the JW202. Though now I know it's basically possible to change L visa into X visa, provided that you are at a university. There are many types of Chinese visas now. Take a look at the website of the Chinese embassy in your country. As far as I remember, there is a type of visa that you could make in your situation. It might be the F visa you mentioned. But who said you should apply for X2 visa? The embassy? It doesn't make much sense, they should know best what type of visa people are supposed to apply for...

[rahul]

Hi cabalin

PRC embassy returned my application as i had applied in F section. They insist that I have to apply in X2 Section . I understand your point that the school will also not be able to provide JW 202 when i am there.

But if It is possible to convert L to X2 in china then i can accordingly search for schools once i am China. Do you have any info regarding conversion of visa

[cabalin]

I wrote in this topic before, asking whether it is possible to change L visa into X visa cause my university had suggested me to come to China with L visa. Later I finally got the necessary documents and made X visa, as it should be, but I know it is possible to change, though a bit problematic (a lot of paperwork). If I were you, if I didn't get any help neither from the school in China nor from the Chinese embassy, I would probably just go to China with L visa and ask the school to help me change it into any other. But you'd have to do it quickly because, as far as I know, since 2013 Chinese embassies do not issue L visas for more than 1 month (before 2013 you could get a 3-month visa, I think).

[steverf]

Hi all,

 

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but it is pinned so hopefully that's OK. I am a student in the UK who has been granted leave to study Chinese in China for 6 months. My university is not supporting me in any way other than giving me the time off, so it is up to me entirely to organise the visit. I registered on two BLCU programmes - one 5 week course starting on December 18, one 4 week course starting on February 27. This gives me c. 3 months total study time, as they will provide me with an X2 visa for the entirety of the 16 Dec. - 26 March period.

 

However, I wanted to spend much longer in China. Ideally, I would leave immediately. However, I don't see any way of doing this. BLCU advised me that if I took a 30 day tourist visa, it would be possible to convert it (though they didn't mention how much effort & work this would require - something I'd much rather not go through with if it is going to be an enormous hassle) but it would only give me an extra 2 weeks or so. They suggest applying for a 60 day visa, but I can foresee this being rejected as they don't appear to be very common anymore.

 

A private language school has advised that I take a 30 day tourist visa and go out immediately, and they will organise the conversion process to an F visa for the gap between my arrival and the start of the BLCU course in December. Is it really possible to convert from an L, to an F, to an X2 within the space of a month? Would the bureaucratic effort kill me? I speak very little Mandarin and I'll struggle to survive in Beijing as it is, without having to go through a visa nightmare. Please help!

[trmw]

Sorry for the late reply steverf, hope this is still of some value.

See my previous thread in this visa section about my X2 visa application in London. In the end, I applied (and received) a double-entry L visa, with 90 days each duration. Would that be suitable for you? Obviously you'd have to leave the country (Hong Kong will do!) in the middle, but it seems like it would work.

Try contacting the visa centre in London and explain your itinerary is:

 

 - Travel in China for x days

 - Study in China, course 1, x days

 - Travel in China for x days

 - Study in Cina, course 2, x days

 

Ask if the school can issue an invitation letter in support of your L-visa application, and make some (refundable) travel bookings as evidence of your plans. That might do the trick and they'll be happy to issue a longer term L-visa. Or it might not... The more complex the situation, the more likely you are to have difficulties I think. You can email the London Chinese Visa Application Centre (their email is on their website) and they do respond quickly.

 

Let us know how you get on in the end anyway! And good luck!

[MBAchina]

Hello guys!

 

I'm looking into doing an MBA in Beijing, but would also like to earn some money teaching ESL. I will most likely go on a student visa. I read every where that if you are on student visa, you can't work and vice versa. Any experience from anybody?