Late Resident Permit application

[amandagmu]

On a somewhat related topic, could someone tell me how much of a mess I might be in:

I gave the uni my passport a week ago on Friday (Nov 26) to upgrade the registration card. I told them the whole time it expired Dec4. It's Dec 7 and they're telling me they "hope" to have it to me by Friday. Does this make sense? Should I start complaining? I already told them if I get a fa kuan they're paying it.

err sorry to be more specific: I'm here on an X-visa and doing this the first time around - so I had the 30 day card and needed to wire money for tuition and get all the health exams done before officially getting the uni paperwork to extend the registration.

[amandagmu]

Ok guys, I'm getting worried. It's Friday Dec 10, the uni has had the passport two full weeks. I have been told three times "it's coming", my zanzhuzheng expired a week ago, wtf should I do?!

[roddy]

What do you mean by 暂住证? If it's the thing in your passport, that should be your X visa (unless you had a residence permit already from that / some other school?).

If it's your police station registration slip, if they chase you up say you can't do anything as your passport is with the PSB / university - give them the university phone number to check if you want, it shouldn't be a problem.

Residence permits can take a while to do, especially if universities wait until they've got a pile to do before taking them all down to the PSB. But if the university doesn't seem worried and you don't need your passport for anything urgent, I'd just hold on.

[abcdefg]

wtf should I do?!

Batching. My best guess is that it's a "batching" issue, as Roddy suggested. The school's administrative office probably waits until it gets a "batch" of them before dispatching someone to take them to the PSB and complete the necessary request forms. And then they may wait until it's convenient to send someone to go pick them up when they are ready. I've run into this before and it drives me nuts. Something that should take 48 hours winds up taking two or three weeks or more.

My advice is a little different from Roddy's. I'd go by the office every day or two and just ask nicely with a smile if your updated pasport and permit have arrived yet. Don't get angry, accuse them of inefficiency or laziness; don't make threats or cause a scene. But be a bit of a persistent minor nuisance so they don't just forget all about you and your situation. Do it gently, but don't just meekly disappear.

I told them I had planned a weekend trip out of town with several friends and needed my passport so I could take the airplane and check into a hotel. I apologized and assured them I really hated to bother them about it and, had it not been for my upcoming travel, I would have not have been disturbing them at all.

Disclosure: I was dealing with a languange school, not a university; but I think the principle is the same.

[jbradfor]

I'd go by the office every day or two and just ask nicely with a smile if your updated pasport and permit have arrived yet.

Basically, you want to be enough of a nuisance that it becomes easier for them to do it than not do it.

[roddy]

You could do, but unless you actually need your passport in a hurry I'd leave it. It's either being processed, in which case chasing it up won't do any good - the university won't want to bother the PSB, as the PSB will take as long as they take, unless they get up with phone calls in which case they'll take longer; or it's done and everything is fine and the passport just hasn't made it's way back to you, in which case you should take this opportunity to practice assuming everything is fine.

Sound like your application would have been with the PSB before the X visa expired, so I can't see there being any problems. Even if they were inclined to make a fuss about not having enough time, they're as likely to take aim at the school as at you.

Two weeks for a residence permit application seems pretty quick, if anything. Mind you, they shouldn't be busy this time of year.

[abcdefg]

You could do, but unless you actually need your passport in a hurry I'd leave it.

I actually needed it.

Basically, you want to be enough of a nuisance that it becomes easier for them to do it than not do it.

Exactly. And not have it turn into a tug of war involving "face."

[valikor]

At least once, when I was extending my visa, I didn't get my passport/new visa back until several weeks after my old visa had expired. At one point, it expired on a Tuesday and I gave it to my university on Monday. The university said it was no problem, so I guess they can handle it.

I don't think it's anything to worry much about...

[anonymoose]

Next time ask the university for the paperwork and then go to the PSB yourself and get it sorted. It's more of a hassle, but at least you are in control of the situation.