New policy provides greater convenience for foreign students
( 2003-09-03 16:24) (China.org.cn)
 Starting from September 2, relevant departments of public
security will issue foreign students in China with a Foreigner Residency Permit
with a time limit equal to their actual study period instead of previous
regulations of having their residence permits renewed each year, according to
the Ministry of Public Security.
Meanwhile, foreign students who need to leave China during their study
period, temporarily, will be issued with multiple-entry visas which have the
same time limit as their residency permit. Their relatives in China who apply as
a companion to their study can have their visa extended for six months by
showing official letters of agreement from the universities they are studying
at. Their visa can be extended many times as long as it is within the valid date
of their residency permit.
In light of these regulations in China, foreign students who plan to study in
China for over six months need to enter China with an 'X' visa and apply for a
Foreigner Residency Permit at the local Exit-Entry Management Office of Public
Security Departments within 30 days after arriving in China. Previously, foreign
students studying in China for over one year were usually granted a
one-year-long residency permit and had to renew it each year.
According to Zhang Yindi, vice director of the Exit-Entry Administration of
the Ministry of Public Security, due to more and more frequent international
exchange of Chinese universities, increasing foreign students come to China to
study language and culture. "Under such circumstances, we should provide further
convenience for the exit-entry and residence of foreign students in order to
enhance cultural exchanges between China and other countries, attracting more
foreign students to study in China and enable them to have more time to focus on
their studies," said Zhang.
It is reported that, with the further development of China's opening-up
policy, the number of foreigners studying in China has increased annually. There
were 43,065 foreign students studying in China last year. Of them, 40,568
studied in universities and 2,479 studied in primary and middle
schools.
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