Visa Matters for Non-local Students

According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance, non-local students must apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID card) at the Immigration Department within 30 days of arrival.  You are, therefore, required to apply for an HKID card in person at the Immigration Department as soon as possible upon arrival.  You may make an advanced booking via the Immigration Department's 24-hour Appointment Booking Service for Hong Kong Smart Identity Card application at (852) 2598 0888 or at www.gov.hk/icbooking.  In making an appointment, you need to enter the number of your travel document as the number of the identity document.

Please produce your travel document for the application.  There is no charge for the issuance of HKID cards to new arrivals.  The processing normally takes about 10 working days (i.e. excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays).

Once you get the HKID card, you are entitled to use the government medical services at local rates.  You should complete and return Form AR1 with a copy of the HKID card to the Academic Registry in person at the AR Service Centre.  You are required to carry your HKID card at all times in Hong Kong.  In case you have lost it, you should report to the Police immediately and apply for a replacement at the Immigration Department within 14 days or, if it is lost or damaged outside Hong Kong, within 14 days of your return.  A fee will be charged for the replacement.

A "non-local student" is defined as one who requires a student visa to study in Hong Kong or is staying in Hong Kong under the "Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates". Non-local students who possess only a visitor or a tourist visa cannot commence their studies until they have obtained student visas.

For dependant visa / entry permit holders who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the Director of Immigration, they will be regarded as non-local students, and should follow the regulations for non-local students.

 

For holders of IANG Visa, Dependent Visa, Working Permit or etc

If you wish to change your current visa type to a student visa, you should submit your student visa application, with a handling charge of HK$600, to the Academic Registry (AR) at least 8 weeks before your visa expires. Please follow the application procedures outlined in Q18. You should complete the dedicated application form provided by the Immigration Department (IMMD) and submit it together with other support documents required in hardcopy to the AR Service Centre located at M101.  For details, please visit the IMMD website at  https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/study.html. 

 

No, it is by law that people entering Hong Kong as visitors are not allowed to study at any school/university without holding a valid student visa issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department.  Our University will not accept a student for enrolment if he/she cannot present a valid travel document together with a student visa at the time of enrolment.

  

Upon successful application for a student visa, you will be issued a self-adhesive student visa label. You are required to activate the student visa label by entrance to Hong Kong on or before the date stated on the student visa label.

If you are from the Mainland, you must apply for an "Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao" (EEP) and a relevant exit endorsement from the Public Security Bureau office where your household registration is kept.  The visa label should be affixed onto a blank endorsement page of the EEP for arrival clearance upon your entry to Hong Kong.  In case your EEP bearing the relevant exit endorsement is in electronic format, you should present the electronic EEP together with the visa label for immigration arrival clearance.

If you are from overseas or Macao, you must affix the visa label onto your passport or "Visit Permit for Residents of Macao to HKSAR" (for Macao students) and enter Hong Kong on the strength of the documents.

If you are a full-time student from Taiwan, you will be issued a single-journey entry permit.  You must present it at the Immigration Counter and enter Hong Kong on the strength of the entry permit.  If you are a part-time student from Taiwan, you will be issued a multiple-journey visa label.  You must affix the visa label onto your Declaration of Identity for Visa Purposes (a copy of which should have been furnished to the Immigration Department upon your visa application).

You should present your student visa label (affixed on relevant travel documents) or entry permit (for full-time students from Taiwan) at the Immigration Counter when you arrive in Hong Kong.  Please ensure that the Immigration Officer puts an immigration stamp on your passport/travel document or issues a landing slip to you stating "Student - Permitted to remain until (a student status due date in a format of DD-MM-YYYY)".

 

After entering Hong Kong on the strength of the single-journey entry permit, you may apply for a "Multiple Entry Permit" (MEP) and transfer of endorsement onto the MEP to facilitate future travel to and from Hong Kong.  For details on the application for MEP, please contact the Extension Section of the Immigration Department.

  

For Full-time students

 

• If your student visa is set to expire before the completion of your studies within the normal study period of your programme, you should apply for student visa extension at least 5 weeks before your current visa expires.
• If you are unable to complete a full-time programme at the degree level or above within its normal duration but expect to finish within one additional year, you should apply for student visa extension.
• If you have already received a one-year extension beyond your normal study period and have not yet completed your studies, you must submit a new student visa application at least 8 weeks before your extended visa expires in order to continue your studies at PolyU.
• If your current student visa or entry permit has expired, you must apply for a new student visa to continue your studies. Please follow the renewal procedures outlined in Q18.

 

For Part-time students

 

Student visa extension is not applicable to part-time students. Instead, you should apply for a new student visa at least 8 weeks before your current visa expires. Please follow the renewal procedures outlined in Q18.

 

It is your responsibility to apply for student visa extension before it expires. At the time of application submission and visa label collection, applicants must be physically in Hong Kong, as required by the Immigration Department. 

 

You should extend your student visa by following the procedures below:

• You can apply for a supporting letter for an extension of stay via eStudent 5 weeks before your current student visa expires. 

1. Prepare scanned copies of the required documents:
   - Biodata Page of Travel Document (Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau (EEP) (往來港澳通行証)                 (front and back sides) / Passport); 
   - Student Visa Label or e-Visa (Notification Slip for Entry Visa/Permit 入境签证/进入许可通知书); and 
   - Landing Slip (for student).
2. Visit eStudent at https://www38.polyu.edu.hk/eStudent/ and login to your account using your ‘NetID’ and ‘NetPassword’.
3. Apply for a supporting letter following the Guidelines of Online Application for Student Visa Extension via eStudent. 
4. Download the supporting letter when you receive an email notification regarding its availability. 

• Submit the application for student visa extension within 4 weeks before your student visa expires, together with the following documents, to the Immigration Department either in person or via the online service at the website of the Immigration Department (https://www.gov.hk/esapplication).

• The supporting letter from the AR;
• A completed application form ID91;
• Your travel document; and
• Your Hong Kong Identity Card.

• Upon receipt of all necessary documents, it normally takes the Immigration Department 2 to 3 weeks to process your application.
• Once your application has been approved, the Immigration Department will contact you to collect your new student visa label and No Objection Letter (NOL).  You should be in Hong Kong at the time of application and collection of extension of stay label.
• Upload the e-Visa (the electronic "Notification Slip for Conditions of Stay") and input the extended visa expiry date in the ‘Provision of the Latest Student Visa Information’ in the ‘Application Details’ Section in your application on eStudent after your application is approved by the Immigration Department to confirm your legitimacy as a student at PolyU. 

If you encounter any problems with accessing the (AR165) Application for Supporting Letter for Extension of Stay to Continue Studies at PolyU (For Non-local Students Only), please contact us at ar.visa@polyu.edu.hk. 

 

Students who are not holding a student visa at the time of admission should contact us at ar.visa@polyu.edu.hk for further assistance.

 

If you have lost your travel document whilst in Hong Kong, you need to follow the procedures below:

• Get a reported loss memo from the Hong Kong Police and a supporting letter from the Academic Registry;
• Upon receipt of the above documents, the Immigration Department will issue a bearer letter and a visa label to you;
• Mainland students need to bring along the bearer letter and the visa label to the China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited (香港中國旅行社) for replacement of the EEP and the relevant exit endorsement.  Other non-local students need to bring along the bearer letter and the visa label to their country's consulate for replacement of the travel document.
  
  

(For Ug students)

If you are studying a full-time programme at degree level with a study period of not less than one academic year, you may take up a study- / curriculum-related internship arranged or endorsed by the programme offering department.  The internship duration is up to one year, or one-third of the normal duration of the relevant full-time study programme, whichever is shorter.  You may also take up part-time on-campus employment for not more than 20 hours per week throughout the year and summer jobs during the summer months (i.e. 1 June to 31 August) without any limit in relation to working hours and location.  You are, however, not allowed to roll over unused hours of part-time on-campus jobs from one week to another.

 

(For TPg students and RPg students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

As per the Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address, starting from 1 November 2023, full-time non-local postgraduate students will be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up part-time employment. This arrangement will be implemented on a trial basis for a period of two years (i.e. until 31 October 2025). For details, please refer to the press release from the HKSAR.

 

During this two-year temporary suspension, full-time non-local postgraduate students will no longer be restricted by the number of working hours or the job location for their part-time employment. Although the restrictions on part-time employment for non-local students have been lifted, it is highly recommended that the students should follow the appropriate procedures and maintain regular communication with their respective programme offering departments regarding their employment during their studies. Prior to starting any employment (summer jobs excluded), non-local students should obtain endorsement from their programme offering departments. 

 

For Research Postgraduate (RPg) students, please note that there are regulations concerning employment stipulated in the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook. Although this temporary exemption allows the students concerned to take up part-time employment without breaching their conditions of stay, RPg students must still adhere to the related regulations set out in the Handbook and obtain prior approval from the Graduate School if necessary.

(For Ug students)

Eligible students may receive up to two No Objection Letters (NOLs) notifying them of the relevant arrangements upon the approval of their student visa applications:

• Full-time students will be issued an NOL allowing them to take up part-time on-campus employment and summer jobs.  This NOL will be valid as long as their student visa is valid.
• If their study programmes allow or require them to take up a study-related internship, they will be issued a separate NOL for it.  However, this NOL will only be valid for one academic year while they remain a student studying the same programme, and their limit of stay in the HKSAR remains unexpired.  We will inform eligible students to collect the renewed NOL at an appropriate time every year.

There is no need for eligible students with the appropriate NOLs to seek individual permission from the Director of Immigration for a study-/curriculum-related internship arranged or endorsed by your department, part-time on-campus employment or off-campus summer jobs.

 

(For TPg students and RPg students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

As per the Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address, starting from 1 November 2023, full-time non-local postgraduate students will be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up part-time employment. This arrangement will be implemented on a trial basis for a period of two years (i.e. until 31 October 2025). For details, please refer to the press release from the HKSAR.

 

During this two-year temporary suspension, full-time non-local postgraduate students will no longer be restricted by the number of working hours or the job location for their part-time employment. Although the restrictions on part-time employment for non-local students have been lifted, it is highly recommended that the students should follow the appropriate procedures and maintain regular communication with their respective programme offering departments regarding their employment during their studies. Prior to starting any employment (summer jobs excluded), non-local students should obtain endorsement from their programme offering departments. 

 

For Research Postgraduate (RPg) students, please note that there are regulations concerning employment stipulated in the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook. Although this temporary exemption allows the students concerned to take up part-time employment without breaching their conditions of stay, RPg students must still adhere to the related regulations set out in the Handbook and obtain prior approval from the Graduate School if necessary.

 

No, the NOLs issued under the current programme will cease to be valid.  Your eligibility for study-/curriculum-related internships, part-time on-campus employment, and summer jobs will be reassessed. New NOLs, if applicable, will be issued.

If the “No Objection Letter” is lost/damaged, you should get a replacement from the Immigration Department.  Mainland students may request the Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section for the issuance of a fresh NOL at no fee. Other non-local students may approach the Extension Section for the same formalities. You may refer to Question 34 of Employment during the Study Programme on the webpage of Immigration Policy on Study. For enquiries, please contact the Immigration Department by email at enquiry@immd.gov.hk or by phone at 2824 6111. 

(For Ug and TPg students)

Yes, you need to seek prior permission from the Director of Immigration beforehand.  Otherwise, you will be committing an offence of breaching your conditions of stay.  To seek permission, you should follow the procedures below:

• Seek approval from your programme offering department at least 3 weeks before starting the activities, by providing the following information:

• Name of the organisation and its registration number;
• Period of the service (with the start date and end date);
• How frequently will you undertake the service and the servicing hours within the above period;
• Nature of the service and post;
• Details of remuneration or subsidy you will be given if any;
• An official letter from the organisation that covers the above details, if any; and

• Your programme offering department will submit your application to the Immigration Department via the Academic Registry.
• The Academic Registry will advise you of the outcome of your application by email.

 

(For Research Postgraduate students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

Students should refer to the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook from the Graduate School on the regulations if any.

 

(For Ug and TPg students)

Yes, you need to seek prior approval from the Immigration Department by following the procedures below:

• Seek approval from the transfer-in department by submitting the relevant AR form (for details, please read the relevant section of the Student Handbook).
• Once the department approves your application, the Academic Registry will seek approval from the Director of Immigration on your behalf and advise you of the outcome of your application by email.
• Collect your renewed No Objection Letter(s) (NOLs) from the Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section of the Immigration Department (for mainland students) or Extension Section (for other non-local students) before taking up study-/curriculum-related internship and any employment (as the NOLs in respect of the current programme will cease to be valid).
• No auto-extension on the student visa, regardless of approval or not from the Immigration Department.

 

(For Research Postgraduate students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

Students should refer to the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook from the Graduate School for information on the regulations, if applicable. There is no auto-extension for the student visa, regardless of approval from the Immigration Department. 

 

 

If you transfer to another full-time programme at PolyU before completing the current one, you will normally be allowed to extend your stay, via visa extension application, to pursue the new programme, so long as you would not be able, with such an extension, to accumulate five years or more of continuous residence in Hong Kong.

Yes, PolyU will notify the Director of Immigration after your application for deferment of study or zero-subject enrollment has been approved. You will also receive an email informing you of the Immigration Department's decision once we hear back from them.

 

(For Ug and TPg students)

Please refer to the AR website for the application forms for deferment of study and zero-subject enrollment.

 

(For Research Postgraduate students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

Please refer to the Graduate School website for the application form for deferment of study.

If your student visa has not been terminated by the Immigration Department and is still valid when you return to Hong Kong, you do not need to apply for a new student visa to resume your studies. However, if your current student visa does not cover the duration of your studies after resumption, you should follow the procedures outlined in Q6 and Q18 to extend or renew your visa before it expires.

You need to submit your student visa application by post, along with the following documents, to the Immigration Department via the Academic Registry at least 8 weeks before you resume your studies:

• A duly completed student visa application form ID995A (see sample) with a recent passport-size photo (55 x 45 mm) adhered to the relevant page of this form;
• A copy of your travel document(s)* or identity document(s):
• For students from Chinese Mainland: Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) (front and back sides);
• For students from Macao: Macao Identity Card (front and back pages) and Visit Permit for residents of Macao to HKSAR;
• For students from Taiwan: Recent Taiwan Household Registration Record (front and back pages), Taiwan Identity Card (front and back pages) and passport;
• For students not from the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan or Macao: Passport
• A copy of financial proof (i.e. a recent bank statement indicating that you have sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living expenses for one year of study in Hong Kong).  If the financial proof is not in your name, your sponsor is required to provide written consent testifying that he/she will provide financial support to your studies in Hong Kong.  In this case, a copy of your sponsor's passport (including the signature page) should be provided; and
• An explanation letter if you cannot complete your studies within the normal duration of the programme.
• Part-time student: Employment Proof and Supplementary Form for Part-time Students Applying for a Student Visa

* Please make sure that your travel document is valid for at least one year.  For students from Chinese Mainland, you should check the validity of your EEP.

If you encounter any of these issues, your registration in the programme, including subject enrollment, will be rendered null and void, resulting in the removal of your student status with the University. The Academic Registry will notify the Immigration Department of your termination of studies. This may lead to the cancellation of your student visa or a refusal of re-entry to Hong Kong by the Immigration Department. Even if your registration status is later reinstated, you may still need to reapply for a student visa.

Once it is confirmed that you have discontinued, withdrawn your study at PolyU or have been de-registered from your programme, the Academic Registry will inform the Immigration Department accordingly.  According to Immigration Regulations, you must leave Hong Kong before the expiry of your limit of stay or within 4 weeks from the date of termination of the study, whichever is earlier; otherwise, you will be committing a criminal offence of breaching your conditions of stay.

  

(For Ug and TPg students)

If you are going to change your study load which leads to a change in your study mode (e.g. from full-time to part-time), your visa status may be affected.  You must seek prior approval from the Director of Immigration by following the procedures below:

• Seek approval from your programme offering department by submitting the relevant AR form, if appropriate (please refer to the relevant section of the Student Handbook).
• Once the department has approved your application, you have to seek approval from the Director of Immigration via a new student visa application.

 

(For Research Postgraduate students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

Students should refer to the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook from the Graduate School on the regulations if any. 

 

(For Ug and TPg students)

If you wish to take up exchange activities for 1 year or more, you must seek prior approval from the Director of Immigration.

Once the department approves your exchange application, she will inform the Academic Registry to seek approval from the Director of Immigration on your behalf.  You will be advised of the outcome of your application by email.

 

(For Research Postgraduate students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards)

Students should refer to the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook from the Graduate School on the regulations if any.

 

Incoming exchange students should contact the Global Engagement Office for visa matters.

Under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), you can apply to stay in or return to Hong Kong after you obtained a degree or higher qualification in a full-time and locally-accredited programme in Hong Kong. You will normally be granted a stay of 24 months on time limitation without any condition upon application, provided that you meet the normal immigration requirements. During the stay, you are free to take up employment or pursue studies in Hong Kong without the need to seek prior approval from the Immigration Department.

You need to submit the application either in person or via the online service at the website of the Immigration Department (https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/nonpermanent/applyiang/npr.htm) directly, to the Immigration Department together with any of the following documents which prove that you have completed your study:

• A transcript of studies;
• A testimonial.

You may apply for any of these documents upon the release of the overall assessment results.  For details, please refer to relevant sections in the Student Handbook. Research Postgraduate students admitted from the 2018/19 cohort onwards should consult your programme hosting department for the date of finalisation of overall assessment results.

 

 

If you intend to apply to stay in Hong Kong under the IANG but have not yet received the result of graduation, you may apply for an interim extension of stay at the Immigration Department.  You need to bring along the travel document and HKID card upon application.  The Immigration Department will normally grant a 3-month interim extension to eligible students.

The interim visa, however, does not entitle you to study or work in Hong Kong.  You should apply for such an extension only after you have completed all coursework and examinations.  And once it is confirmed that you need to continue to study, you should apply for student visa extension immediately (Please read Q6 above for steps to extend your student visa).  Before your application for student visa extension, or for staying under the IANG, is approved by the Immigration Department, you should not attend classes at the University or start working in a job.

To apply for the stay under the IANG or the interim extension, you do not need a supporting letter from the Academic Registry.