fatchance Posted June 15, 2004 at 04:54 PM Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 at 04:54 PM Hi all. I'll get right to my main question. Can one change a tourist visa to a student visa while already in-country? I am American. I've been researching chinese language programs in China now for a while and it seems to me it would be best to actually go over and see some Universities, locations, classrooms, etc instead of relying on often meager websites and scarce anecdotes. The problem is that I continue to get conflicting advice from University/FAO staff over whether changing a tourist visa to a student visa is possible. At one school it's "no problem," at another it's "no way." Are the affirmative answers a little overzealous or are the negatives too dismissive? (Or do some FAOs just have better connections than others?) On one hand, I want to be sure of what I'm commiting (tuition) to. On the other, I can't afford to come back to the U.S. for a student visa. Any advice? Appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted June 15, 2004 at 05:08 PM Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 at 05:08 PM I'll get straight to my main answer, which is I don't know. However, it might be worth bearing in mind that a) You might not need to go back to the US - a trip to Hong Kong or Seoul might do the trick B) You CAN change an L visa to an F visa, and an F visa is often used for short term study (or long term study and you renew every six months or so). I only know of this being done via an agent (expensive) but if you have the correct papers from the school, maybe you could do it yourself / with the schools assistance. Hopefully there's someone else out there who's actually done this (or tried and failed - at least then you'll know . . .) Roddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunyata Posted June 16, 2004 at 02:18 AM Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 at 02:18 AM Most schools can change your tourist (L) visa to a student (F) visa, as long as you have not already extended your tourist visa before. But if they say no, then don't be surprised later. Pick a school that is confident they can do it. All in all, don't wory about it. In the worst case, you will just have to pay 600 renminbi per day for overstaying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maracucho77 Posted June 30, 2004 at 06:35 AM Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 at 06:35 AM Shites! With so many different answers to the same questions, is there a set guideline written in stone about how the VISA things work over here? I have inquired and get advice and recommendations from all places answering every question except my own =(...... well, I hope some of you may step up and be able to help me out. I'll have to cut off my arms and legs soon as I'm hearing some stupid stupid pricing for the same thing. thanks in advance and peace out y'all. xie xie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jizzosh Posted December 26, 2004 at 10:38 PM Report Share Posted December 26, 2004 at 10:38 PM Bump! I just want to know if anyone found out anyting more about this scenario. I am set to leave the US on Jan 18th, but I have not received the visa papers (form JW202) from BLCU yet. I am wondering if I should just get a tourist visa for now, to ensure that I can at least step foot in the country, and then change that visa to a long term student visa. Is it possible? Is it practical? Thank you very much! Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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