My school is trying to cancel my student visa and send me back to the US(all this after promising a free semester of class, but that's another story). They said if they do this I will never be able to return to China. Is that true?

We could use a bit more information here. Why are they cancelling the visa?

It takes a bit more than dropping out of school to get yourself on the blacklist these days. I'd say you're safe, as long as you leave before it expires. Keep in mind, though, that as your sponsor, they can cancel your visa at any time.

It sounds like they have reached the end of their tether.

I doubt you'd get a lifelong ban for dropping out of school. On the other hand I KNOW that you can endure some pretty severe penalties for going back on your contract if you are here on a Z-visa and the company reports you to the government to get the visa revoked. My boss says we're talking entry bans ranging from 5 years to life in cases where the company and the local government decide to throw the book at you for some reason.

The long version you can search and read for yourself. Short version is in 2009 I signed up at their west campus. West campus never opened, I went and studied somewhere else on my own. I wanted a refund, but they said no. After arguing with each other for a month or so we all met at the main campus in January. They agreed for a free semester of classes.

Fast forward. I sign up for classes at the north campus. Get a one year visa. 2nd semester arrives. The administration from the north campus contacts the main campus about my tuition from 2009. The main campus flat out lies to the north campus saying they don't know me, and have no records of this. I show my receipt from 2009 to the north campus, and they become confused(and probably not so happy about being lied to).

The north campus says they paid the main campus for a one year visa. So now they want the rest of their money for the visa. The main campus says they never promised me one free semester of classes. So I say ok, whatever... just let me change schools then. They say no, you must continue studying here, and no free semester... or we'll cancel your visa.

Sounds like some right bastards.

You mention a refund that you did not get.
This does not imply a free semester of teaching.

Confused.

West campus, main campus, north campus... Sounds like you're talking about KCEL. Is that right? I've studied at all three campuses of theirs, yes, including the west campus.

Why not just offer to pay the visa cost yourself to get out of the mess? It's only ¥400 or so for North American. Alot cheaper than a flight ticket back to the u.s.

Bummer, visa headaches here can make life really boring.

oh, man, i be confused! i understanded you

already done changed schools, and the
lovely folks at KCELC were pissed that you (or
the new school) never got a new RP with that
school as the sponsor. are you back at KCELC
now? what about the school you switched to?
who be sponsoring your current RP and does

it expire? or are you still on the KCELC RP?

I went to study at the north campus. Paid one semester, and one semester was supposed to be free. But now the 2nd semester is here and the main campus denies ever offering me a free semester. When the north campus called the main campus the main campus even denied I ever paid tuition or registered for classes in 2009... meh

The north campus paid considerably more than 400 yuan for the main campuses "visa service."