Student visa - taking too long...

[atomboi24]

Hey guys - it would be great if you could help me out with this problem...

I'm a student who got accepted into a postgrad course at CityU.

But I only decided a couple of weeks ago as to whether I wanted to take the place.

The dilemma is my course starts in the beginning of September, but I only applied for a visa a week ago, and the immigration website says it takes 4-6 wks to process the visa.

SO...

1. Is there any way of convincing immigration to fasten up the processing time?
2. If I was to get to HK before my visa is issued, then would I NEED to get a return flight, or could I just get a one-way?
3. Is it possible to get a bank account without a valid visa?

Thanks so much for your help, in advance.
Regards,
Atomboi

[PDLM]

1. Maybe - try emailing them at [email protected] and explaining the situation.

2. I don't know anyone (holding a passport which gets granted visa on arrival) who has ever been asked to show that they have an outbound ticket.

3. Yes as an employee of a local company, but I'm not sure as a student.

[KnowItAll]

Better than emailing them. Try faxing them. The fax number / phone number for the cell that is handling your case should be on your visa application receipt.

They should not have a problem speeding the application up, given that in most cases they need a few minutes to make decisions.

[Applesauce]

atomboi,

It all depends on where you come from unfortunately.

If you are from Philippines, Indo, Thailand, etc, yes you are almost certain to be asked to show a return ticket and if you have no sponsor, you may well be required to show you have enough funds to survive here as a tourist.

Immmigration department is nothing if not entirely unfair in their application of the rules against nationals of such countries.

[KnowItAll]

>> Immmigration department is nothing if not entirely unfair in their application of the rules against nationals of such countries.

Based on statistical evidence for sure.. and travel patterns.
(Yes, I belong to one of those countries...)

[atomboi24]

thanks for all of your replies - its greatly appreciated...

i got my sponser (friend in hk) to apply for me, so I guess I'll ask him to call the immigration department and ask for me. I called them a couple of times, and waited for like half and hour - expensive international phone calls...

i've got an australian passport - if nationalities, for some freakish reason, matter, then i hope mine is ok.

thanks guys.

[PSMaverick]

A request to the immigration dept along with the City U documents showing admission should do the trick.And dont worry about the time process time on the ID website. They are much more efficient than they admit.It should be ready quicker than that.