China reopens the door to foreign students after 2 years of Covid lockouts
- Students with valid residence permits will be able to re-enter the country from Wednesday, according to notices at various embassies
- Decision only applies to long-term academic study and not to vocational courses
From Wednesday, overseas nationals with valid residence permits for study can enter the country and those recently admitted by Chinese colleges can apply for visas, according to statements on the websites of a number of Chinese embassies.
The Chinese embassies in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, and Britain were among those who said they would begin accepting applications from overseas students.
The embassy in Jakarta noted that the decision not only applied to Indonesians – nationals of third countries could also apply through the office for student visas for China.
However, the relaxation applies only to students involved in long-term academic studies and not those pursuing short-term vocational training, according to the foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong.