Residence permit is an important document for foreign students to stay in China legally. Therefore, it concerns every international student on whether he/she can settle down to and complete his/her studies. Please make sure you read carefully and comprehend the following contents. In case of any uncertainties, you can consult with the teachers in the International Student Management Office so as to ensure your residence permit is valid during your study here.

Application for the Residence Permit

3.1.1. WHO: who needs to apply for it?

All international students for long-term study in Suzhou Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture are required to apply for the residence permits.

3.1.2. WHEN: When to make the application?

Within one month after entry into China.

3.1.3. HOW LONG: How long does the residence permit last?

Residence permit for international students can last as long as 3 years.

3.1.4. HOW: How to make the application?

Materials and procedures needed for the application:

International students shall go to the International Student Management Office with his/her valid passports, and then truthfully fill in the Visa or Residence Permit Application Form,

For the international students who enter China for the first time, please take the following materials to the Division of Exit-Entry Administration of the Suzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau to apply for the residence permits.

① Certificate of Verification for Physical Examination Record for Foreigners or Overseas Chinese(for students who will study for more than one semester)

② Visa or Residence Permit Application Form

③ Visa Application for Study in China(JW202 Form)

④ Admission Letter of Suzhou Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture

⑤ Copies of valid passport and visa

⑥ Foreigner’s Accommodation Registration Form

⑦ 1 piece of 2-inch bareheaded color photo with white background

Notes: Foreigner’s Accommodation Registration Form shall be applied and filled in Suzhou Liuyuan Road Local Police Station, with your passport brought with you.

Leave China after Completion of Study

International students must leave China within the validity of the Residence Permit after finishing their education.

Abidance by China’s Laws and Relevant Provision

For international students studying in China, their legal rights are protected by Chinese laws. International students must also abide by Chinese laws and relevant regulations of the school, such as Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Punishments in Public Order and Security Administration, Regulations on the Management of Campus Order in Higher Educational Institutions, Student Management Regulations of Suzhou Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture, etc.

Other important laws and regulations concerned:

The Criminal Law

Article 347: A person who smuggles, traffics in, transports or produces drugs, regardless of the quantity, shall be demanded for criminal responsibility and imposed criminal punishment.

Criteria of imposing penalties:

A person who, under any of the following circumstances, smuggles, traffics in, transports or produces drugs, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of fifteen years, life imprisonment or death and concurrently to confiscation of property:

① to smuggle, traffic in, transport or produce opium of not less than 1,000 grams or heroin or methyl benzedrine of not less than 50 grams or any other drug of large quantity,

② to be a ringleader of a gang engaged in smuggling, trafficking in, transporting or producing of drugs,

③ to shield with weapons the smuggling, trafficking in, transporting or producing of drugs,

④ violently to resist inspection, detention or arrest with serious circumstances; or

⑤ to take part in organized internationa drug activities.

A person who smuggles, traffics in, transports or produces opium of not less than 200 grams and not more than 1,000 grams or heroin or methyl benzedrine of not less than 10 grams and not more than 50 grams or any other drug of relatively huge quantity shall be sentenced to fixed-term of imprisonment of not less than seven years and concurrently to a fine.

A person who smuggles, traffics in, transports or produces opium of not more than 200 grams or heroin or methyl benzedrine of not more than 10 grams or any other drug of small quantity shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years criminal detention or public surveillance and concurrently to fine; and if the circumstance is serious, to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than seven years and concurrently to a fine.

If a unit commits a crime under paragraph 2, 3 or 4, the unit shall be sentenced to a fine and concurrently, the person-in-charge directly responsible and other persons directly responsible of it shall be sentenced in accordance with the provisions of the relevant paragraph.

A person who uses a minor or aids and abets him to smuggle, traffic in, transport or produce drugs or sells drugs to the minor shall be sentenced heavily.

If a person who smuggles, traffics in, transports or produces drugs for many times does not been sentenced, his quantity of drugs thus involved shall be computed accumulatively.