tourist and student visas

[jadespence]

Has anyone had any experience with applying for multiple visas at once? I need to arrive in Beijing in advance of the date on which my student visa will become valid (in order to find housing). Can I simultaneously apply for a tourist visa and a student visa, or will I need to enter China on a tourist visa, leave (i.e. to Hong Kong), apply for a student visa there, and re-enter?

Many thanks.

[imron]

Normally you have a 3 month window from the date the visa was issued within which to enter the country. You can enter at any time during that 3 months, and your visa becomes valid from the day of entry. If you are on an X visa, you then have 30 days to get your residence permit and everything sorted out. If you are on an F visa (common for students staying 6 months or less) then you don't really need to do anything except register with the local police station.

It doesn't take long to find accommodation (a week or two at most), so if you were going to come to look for accommodation before the start of class, it's perfectly ok to arrive on your student visa a week or two before the start of classes to get everything sorted out.