Study in China with the Home Return Permit

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  1. #1

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    Jul 2010
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    Study in China with the Home Return Permit

    I'm planning to study at a mainland Chinese university next year through an exchange agreement with my current school in Sweden. I have the ROA in Hong Kong and I hold a Hong Kong passport, a Swedish passport and the Home Return Permit (回鄉證).

    Does the fact that I'm holding the Home Return Permit allow me to study in Mainland China or do I need to apply for a student visa like any other foreigner?

    Thanks.


  2. #2

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    Dec 2009
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    You will need a visa to study, in the same way that mainland chinese require a visa to study here in Hong Kong.


  3. #3

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    Thank you for your reply.
    Could you provide a link to a page that confirms your statement? Some have told me that the Home Return Permit will suffice while others stated the same thing you did, so I just want to make sure.


  4. #4

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    OK, today I was told by a man at the local Chinese consulate that he thinks having the Home Return Permit suffices. Note that he only thinks it's OK. If anyone could supply any data/link that addresses my question, I would be deeply grateful.

    Last edited by hksw; 20-07-2010 at 05:26 PM.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by hksw:
    the local Chinese consulate that he thinks having the Home Return Permit suffices...
    I don't have hard data but where is this "local Chinese consulate"?

    Because think that you still need to apply/produce one more piece of paperwork, along with your HRP, if you've not got a permanent residential address in the mainland and want to study at a uni there.

  6. #6

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    emmie, sorry for not being clear enough. I reside in Sweden so I was referring to the Chinese consulate over here.

    Are you talking about some kind of student visa/residence permit? Do you know any HKer who has studied in Mainland?

    Since I'm being told both yes and no, I'm still interested in some hard data.


  7. #7

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    I was in a similar position to hksw a few years back.

    I asked the admissions department of the university for confirmation before flying out to China and they said the home return permit was fine.

    Of course, when I went to enrol, the stroppy admin people told me that I needed a student visa with my British passport and told me to go away. It took me a while to track down the right person but they let me enrol in the end.

    If I were you, either get something in writing from the admissions department of the university or get a student visa.


  8. #8

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    Jul 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by aslan:
    I was in a similar position to hksw a few years back.

    I asked the admissions department of the university for confirmation before flying out to China and they said the home return permit was fine.

    Of course, when I went to enrol, the stroppy admin people told me that I needed a student visa with my British passport and told me to go away. It took me a while to track down the right person but they let me enrol in the end.

    If I were you, either get something in writing from the admissions department of the university or get a student visa.
    Thank you for the suggestions, aslan.
    That's exactly what I'm worrying about! What if I were to arrive at the registration office only to be rejected due to the lack of a student visa that I had been told wouldn't be needed. I've given it a lot of thought and as you mentioned, if I want to play it safe I should apply for a student visa.

    However, I still don't understand why it seems to be so hard to get a definite answer. I've contacted both the Immigration Department of HK and China Travel Service (CTS) and I've yet to receive a satisfying reply.

  9. #9

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    As the HRP is a document issued by mainland authorities, the HK government can't really help you. It's remarkable how many ambiguities there is for that document, it's just confusing.

    Your best bet is probably to look at some Chinese language websites, you'll probably find more info on this.