Arriving on X visa, more than 30 days before semester starts

[anothermario]

OK so I've searched the forums and I haven't got a clear answer on this so some help please? I'll try to keep it simple.

I got accepted to study in a university in Yunnan, I've got all the relevant forms etc, booked a plane ticket a while ago for July (I like to arrive early, get acclimatized)... getting the visa processed right now... but the school informed me they won't be open for registration until the end of August.

As you probably know I have a 30 days limit to register at the school, which... clearly can't happen now.

The embassy said they "cannot" give me a tourist visa, no matter how much I asked (I had intended to get both visas, then do a visa run to HK) and that I should contact the school about the problem. Emailing the school they advised me to change the date of my ticket because they're on holiday all through July and August.

So anyway! my question is, when I arrive (in Beijing) can I just register myself within the 30 days, say if I stay in a hotel or apartment, can I handle it all myself without the school's blessing?

Alternatively, is there anyway to get an extension on the 30 days? another 30 days would be perfect.

Thanks to any helpers

[m000gle]

Hmmm... After reading the title, my first reccomendation was going to be, speak with your school and see if you can register early, thus allowing you to apply for the residence permit in time. Schools will, on occasion, do this. If they're not willing to, and the embassy isn't able to give you a second visa, there's not a heck of a lot you can do.

Hopefully another user will have a solution. However, were I in the same situation, I'd be on the phone with the airline trying to rebook at a later date.

[imron]

can I just register myself within the 30 days, say if I stay in a hotel or apartment, can I handle it all myself without the school's blessing?

No. You need various things that the school will give you plus you need to register with the local authorities of where you'll be studying, so you can't register in Beijing if you'll be studying in Yunnan.

Like m000gle, I'd be looking to change my ticket to a later date.

[anonymoose]

I don't know if it's possible or not, but can you not just ask for a longer X visa?

[anothermario]

well, I can't ask for a longer X visa from here, I was wondering if i can extend it in Beijing?

[roddy]

No. Your X visa is for going directly to your university with. Your options, as far as I can see, are having the embassy cancel your X visa* and give you an L visa, then turn up at the university - they can still apply for your residence permit, check the pinned topic in this sub-forum, or using your X visa for thirty days and then getting an L visa, either in China (anyone know if that's possible, it's definitely unusual?) or by taking a trip to Hong Kong or somewhere.

*they can't give you an L visa currently as you can't have two visas. If you have them cancel the X visa it should be ok?

[anothermario]

Ah, "can't have 2 visas"... that's the main problem. damn... yeah what I'm hoping is that, after I arrive in BJ, I can apply for tourist visa? maybe? I havent seen any information on that, only the other way around... 麻烦...

[anonymoose]

Did your university send you some documentation to apply for the X visa? If so, you should make sure that they can supply you with another set or whatever you need to apply for the correct residence permit because otherwise, if you apply for an L visa in Beijing, you may have trouble getting back to X without the documentation.

[anothermario]

they've sent the JW-202 form, if that's what you mean, I've got an original and some copies, which I figure I might need. where would I inquire about the L visa?

[Takeshi]

or using your X visa for thirty days and then getting an L visa . . . in China (anyone know if that's possible' date=' it's definitely unusual?)[/quote']

Been there, done that, was a big pain and almost a miracle that I managed to get it done.

Basically, I had been studying in HK in the summer, and I went into the mainland in July or so. The basic idea of my trip was that if I go directly after HK, I don't have to pay for double airfare back and forth and get to enjoy China for a longer time which is a win-win.

The first pain was getting the actual visa in Canada. They were complaining that I was trying to apply for the visa too early and that they can only apply it up to 3 months before or something. I managed to barely get it in time the day before going to HK by paying extra for one day service. They told me the same things about "having 2 visas is illegal".

So, I went to the school, and they were surprised to see me and told me they didn't have the JW-202 forms from Beijing and that I'd have to wait until September or something to register, and they didn't know what to do about the visa and told me to go to the police dept.

The police dept, of course, told me they couldn't do anything without the JW-202 form and that I wasn't supposed to come this early and that the only thing I could do was go back and make the school give me a JW-202 form somehow. The school said they don't handle them and it would be impossible.

After going back and forth between them both a few more times, they first insisted that I would have to go back to Canada and get another student visa there, but since I had used up several important forms, they were not sure if that was even possible, and if it isn't possible then they basically sounded like I was going to lose my chance to study in China... The next day (day before last visa day) when I went to a different clerk, she said I could try to go to HK and get them to give me an visa there and get back in on it. It would be best if they give me an X visa somehow, but otherwise I would have to get an L visa and come back for the time being to see if that visa could work or to later plan to go back to Canada. (I was in Guangzhou, so I figure everyone saw HK as an "easy way out" since it is so close.)

My grandpa hearing all these plans was shaking his head and got upset, and the morning of the next day when I had decided to leave for HK, he made me go back to the police dept just one last time. This time we got a different clerk, and she just gave me an L visa issued there. (All the other clerks said this was "not allowed", but hey, I guess I was lucky.) When the JW-202 forms finally arrived in the school, I went back to the police dept and had no problems getting a "residence permit" for the rest of the year and all my worries were solved. (Half of the people at the police dept said this was "not allowed", but hey, I guess I was lucky)

So yea, I guess I was lucky. I figure they had just applied some grease into the system seeing that I was already in China already, and that it would be somewhat inhuman to expect me to go back and forth to Canada just to get a visa. I don't think you have options if you want to plan it out safely, there is a lot of room for error and you'll just have to pray, though I guess it's technically not impossible.

EDIT: About the JW-202 form, there are 2 kinds. The white one you keep, and the yellow one in Beijing (or the other way around). You don't have the Beijing's one yet, so you can't do it.

[roddy]

Thanks for that, Takeshi.

[Takeshi]

I would not recommend trying this to anyone. It really was a nightmare.

Also, the idiots who pasted my visas decided it would be a smart idea to paste my first L visa 2 or 3 new pages in. Then the guy pasting my resident permit probably thought all that whitespace was being wasted and pasted the resident permit before the L visa. (Normal stamps have since followed from the beginning of the whitespace and took up it all by now) So every now and then I get an immigration officer telling me I'm illegally in China until I tell them they are looking at the wrong visa.

[anothermario]

hmm, wow, what a hassle. anyway what I gathered from that story is I can get an L visa from the police (if I'm lucky) I'll take my chances then

[roddy]

Have the cash handy for a short notice trip to Hong Kong, and let us know what happens.

[imron]

Either way be sure to come back and let us know how it worked out.

[Takeshi]

If in Yunnan (don't know where in Yunnan?) Maybe going to Thailand or something would be easier? I heard rumours on these forums that Thailand is more willing to give visas out to non-residents, while HK in recent years sometimes requires you to be a HK resident to get a visa there. But don't quote me on that.

[anothermario]

thanks for all the input Thailand does sound like a good idea. thanks forumers! I'll let let you know how it goes... see you on the other side

[roddy]

In the summer there are Kunming to Chiang Mai flights (check this, may be out of date) and Chiang Mai's consulate has a history of handing out two entry, 90 day stay per entry visas. Not sure that helps in this case though.

[anothermario]

On a related note, if I want to register in a hotel/motel/apartment, but I don't have my passport (say it's at the police station for those 2 weeks or however long it takes) would a photocopy of the passport be sufficient? Assuming I do get the visa process done as soon as I arrive, I do still have to live somewhere...

[anothermario]

right, sorted it out easy. went to school before semester finished, registered, took less than a week. bam! easy peasy