BLCU enrollment and confirmation letters..

[pijiu]

According to the head of the Chinese department at my University there seems to be a delay in our confirmation letters being delivered. Apparentley all of my classmates names are on an acceptence list but we still haven't recieved our confirmation letters. Would this be a problem for those of us leaving for China in the next week or two. Does anyone have any experience in enrollment at BLCU without the confirmation letter, do you just need proof of your identity such as a passport?

[redmini]

when i registered at blcu on my first day, they were fairly firm about me having the university admission letter (im assuming thats the confirmation letter you were referring to) to show because just having passport identity wasnt sufficient. blcu should have sent it to you along with the visa application documents in their mail package? if not, then i would recommend your chinese dept head to follow up on it just in case. you wouldnt want to be stranded when you arrive in beijing. university officials tend to make sure that they follow their rule book down to the tee and if you dont have the admission letter, then it's unnecessary trouble for you to find a way around it.

[pijiu]

Well the admissions left it till the last minute and we are to expect them by the 4th of july, I am leaving for HK on the 2nd of july and most of my classmates are already in China or gone back home to japan, korea or india because they expected the letter long ago.

Really stuck for ideas on what to do.

[fourmat]

yeah they were pretty clear when I got my confirmation letter that you wont be able to register unless you bring it.

I presume you are ok for a visa then if you are from HK?

Maybe you could get in touch with BLCU and ask them not to post your letter, and then just collect it with your passport when you arrive in Beijing?

[pijiu]

Let my clarify a few things, I am a student in the UK and I am a British citizen. We were told by the head of department that we were to expect the letters of confirmation by the end of May at the latest. After much chasing up by my head lecturer and with the never ending public holidays she finally was told that they had been sent to the UK (they will be sent to her at the Universities address were she will then forward them on to me and my fellow classmates). Last week she had confirmed that all of the students in my class who applied to BLCU had been confirmed for enrolment in July. However, even though she had received a list of who had been accepted she had still not received the conformation letters. She then in the past couple of days informed me that she is really angry with how things have been handled and is still waiting for these confirmation letters (apparently there's some other holiday or administration holiday this week so she can't get in touch with them).

Now because of them basically being lazy about sending our confirmation letters and promising that they would arrive no later than the end of May, many of us have already booked our flights to wherever it is we are going, be it going home or travelling a little before finally entering China (in my case, a one week stop in HK).

I'm leaving for HK in about a week and a half and have had to resort to applying for a 'tourist' visa for China as opposed to the 'student' visa (which I would have preferred as it would save any complications if it arose). I feel like I am lying to the government by saying I am going just for a holiday when I am actually going with the intention of studying in a University. Sure, the visa application says something along the lines of please state the reason(s) for entry but If I tick travel and study they will request the confirmation letter I'm sure. (Which I don't have)

So basically I have the wrong type of visa (though, people say it isn't much of a problem) and I am going to be showing up to BLCU without a confirmation letter as are most of the students from my institution.

[Shadowdh]

This uni isnt near oxford circus in London is it?? I too am waiting all my forms and bits and last year they were here well before the end of may... I am off for the academic year though and dont leave till end of August so I have a little more time... I also have spoken to the head lecturer and she is not happy...

[pijiu]

Yes it would be that Uni . HD must feel terrible about what's going on, I think everyone has been pestering her about these confirmation letters for weeks now.

P.S. I don't suppose you know where my class would would be able to get the mp3 recordings of the cassettes again, it would appear that clives site no longer has them.

Regards,

Chris.

[Shadowdh]

She does indeed my friend... she has been on to the embassy daily and at the moment there is a big wig over so they are all a flutter... I have a copy of those files and can burn one for you if you like... then you can pass it around... I will be in uni one day this week which has yet to be determined... but I will let you know as soon as I know, hit me up with an email...

[deezy]

"I'm leaving for HK in about a week and a half and have had to resort to applying for a 'tourist' visa for China as opposed to the 'student' visa (which I would have preferred as it would save any complications if it arose). I feel like I am lying to the government by saying I am going just for a holiday when I am actually going with the intention of studying in a University. Sure, the visa application says something along the lines of please state the reason(s) for entry but If I tick travel and study they will request the confirmation letter I'm sure. (Which I don't have)

So basically I have the wrong type of visa (though, people say it isn't much of a problem) and I am going to be showing up to BLCU without a confirmation letter as are most of the students from my institution."

YES! Me too! I JUST got my confirmation package today...and I'm leaving in a week!

Problem is, it says I "must" apply for an "F" visa...but I already applied for an "L" tourist visa. I had no choice since the confirmation letter took so damn long... So, is this really a problem? I'm only going to be there for a month anyways, not a long semester...

[deezy]

Ok, I am SERIOUSLY CONFUSED here now.

My BLCU admission notice says:

If you observe the laws and decrees of China as well as the rules and regulations of the University, you can apply for the Student's Visa (F visa) to the Chinese Embassy or Consulates in your country with this admission notice and Visa Application for Study in China (JW202).

Ok, but I thought an F visa was a business/visit visa and an X visa was a study/student visa? Neither of which is the L tourist visa that I got...since I had no idea when my confirmation letter was ever going to arrive...

So, what's the dealio here? Did they really mean F "student" visa or X student visa? And what if we don't have time to get one now? Being that I am leaving in a WEEK and the nearest Chinese embassy is hours away?!

[deezy]

Ok, here's some more info I dug up on their site (a bit late now though):

(2) Within two months after the day on which it receives the application and relevant materials, the Admission Office will send to qualified applicants a letter of acceptance and Form JW202 for visa application in the Chinese embassy or consulate in their country. Participants in the programs of no more than six months' duration are expected to come to China with a X-status or a F-status visa. Those who are enrolled in programs of a longer duration (one year or more) must hold a X-status visa to get registered at BLCU. Other status visas cannot be used for registration.

So, again, if we have an L visa and not an X or F...how big of a problem is that? Will they really not let us register?

And if not, can we get our visas switched from L to F remotely somehow by fax or something? If not, I am going to have to drive hella far to re-apply for an F visa. And then have them overnight it to me back or something... That's a hella lot to do in a full work week!