Hi,
I am traveling to China to attend university bachelors degree next month and I've been told by my university that I have to come over with an L(travel)Visa, then after I arrive they will admit me to the university and give me a JW202 form to allow me to switch my L-Visa to an X2 visa. This will all take place in China.

I'm not sure about whether you can switch from an L-Visa to a X2-Visa while IN china, without leaving the country. Has anyone done this? Are there any issues with this process?

The uni seems pretty keen on not giving me the documents to apply for an X2-Visa until I arrive.

Then you should consider changing the university. The university is required to hand out all documents necessary for you to acquire the student visa.

This may be a scam, to run you into huge and unnecessary extra costs, on arrival.

I never heard anyone enrolling into university, not getting the necessary documents.

Sounds like they want to cash-drain your wallet.

Why would the school want to drain his wallet if the money wasn't to the school itself? What advantage is it to the school to have him leave China to get another visa and then come back?

I have changed visa whilst in China several times although never between the 2 mentioned in the post. If that's what the school ask for then you'd presume if they're qualified to give out bachelor degrees then they should know what they're doing. Just before you leave, stress with them that what they say will be the case and that they've done this before.

Why?....You have been to China right? ...lol

...Because, foreigners are golden cows for Chinese schools.

To ensure you have the right papers and assiting you to get the right visa, is the law. Or at least, to not accept you, enrolling with the wrong visa, is!
And the law, even here, should mean something, shouldn't it? At least sometimes....

It is common practice of schools to have some leverage over new students coming to China. Whom, regarding to your advise, should trust school administrators completely. Sounds very gullible.

They can make up all kinds of reasons, for you to get papers, documents, copies of this and copies of that for totally inflated prices and fees. And if you disagree or question them, they can kick you out or threaten you.

Happens all the time, at least in Beijing.

Plus, why wouldn't they give him or her the papers, he needs to enroll for his course? Doesn't make sense to me. Plus it is literally illegal to study on anything but a student-visa. For a state-owned University, and for people, as you put it, 'knowing hat they are doing', they should know what the law requires. And thus here my verdict: unprofessional, probably skimming potential students, inefficient.

There are no issues with this, except it will perhaps be slightly more difficult getting the visa as you need to prove your itinerary (?), ignore the dudeson's comments.

You generally have 2 options: enter China with a X visa, change to resident permit(?) within 30 days. Do the same with an L visa, not sure if you have to change to an X visa.

The school is perhaps not sure the documents will reach you in time, and now it is the holidays so perhaps the qualified people at the school/government are not in to process the paperwork.

Well, I don't think there is anything for him to be worrying about at that stage.

Chinese universities ask for tuition at the start of each term, well, if he isn't eligible to study due to the school not having given him the visa, then they'll miss out on the next 3 and half years or tuition payments.

That would all be rather short sighted, no?

Broming, can you change a visa while in China - yes. If you can change the two visas you're stating - I don't know, I haven't been in that situation. People are saying it's panic time but I think you'll be Ok. There'll be an office in the school that work full time on these sorts of things and in my experience, they seem to know their apples.

@A12345
All the people I know, having enrolled in China have done so, in Summer, and they have been processed in less than 2 weeks.
Most of the papers can be faxed and some papers can be directly send and emailed to the embassy in the state you live in.

Plus, if time is an issue, why don't thy say so. Sounds more like they don't want to do that. Also I heard certain countries and states offering express services for Visa.

As I said, by law they can't let you study in China without a student visa. And as we all know they PSB is very determined to show that. So as A12345 said, ignore my advise and hope the PSB won't come knocking on your door.

Plus changing your visa in China takes at least 2-3 weeks. so it doesn't sound like a big win of time to me!

At OP ask the university of the costs [all] for the visa change in China, should be covered by them, and even if not it should be somewhere in the 1k to 2k RMB.

I think it works like this: enter China on a 30 day L visa, change to resident permit valid for the duration of your study.

You could confirm with the school.

I've switched between these two visas with Kunming University of Science and Technology, though at my own expense. It wasn't expensive... around 400RMB.

I've given my application for the Travel Visa. I had heard you needed to show a return plane ticket which would've been very inconvenient for me, but the visa office said it wasn't necessary. Just a one-way ticket and hotel booked for the first night. It's being processed now. One lady at the visa office says people have switched from L-Visa to X-Visa before IN China, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Very glad to hear that mPRin has done it successfully. I'm happy to go along with the process as long as it's all within the rules

@mPRin, can I ask did you switch from L-Visa to X-Visa and then apply for residence visa? Or was it straight from L-Visa to Residence visa which allowed you to study?

@ALL - I have to do an entrance exam when I arrive and this is their reason for not giving me the official documents. I need to officially do the test before I can be offered admittance. Hopefully this dispels any need for fear mongering and conspiracy theories