I am one of the students who got denied a new student visa. Here is why.

I've tried to transfer from KCEL to another private school. After I've told the Laoban (Ning) of KCEL I want to go to another school, he and his staff didn't want to let me go at first (I've already tried it once last time). AFTER I've finally got my transfer sheet, he has informed the PSB that I have not attended class regularly. How come he didn't do that earlier? And btw, I've always told KCEL about my few travel plans during the school period in advance. So you can see what they are pulling.

There are quite some positive posts on Gokunming about KCEL. Try to buy a product online for example, most positive comments are fake. Got it? And if there some real once, those students did not try to transfer to another private school. As long as you pay and stay they treat you nicely.

Huayang is becoming more and more popular and KCEL doesn't like that. Unfortunately KCEL has strong connections to the police. KCEL knows days in advance when there is an upcoming raid and then they call all students to attend class.

Thanks to KCEL I am on a black list now and will not be able to study in Kunming anymore. Now it's your turn. Make your own opinion.

Wow! So much drama. I study at Keats and didn't have any problems whatsoever. In fact, back in 2006 they bent over backwards to make sure I was happy and satisfied. If I wasn't happy with the teacher, they would replace her. Never had a problem with the visa either. If you are going to study at a school you need to be mindful what the rules are both of the school and China.

@putzfrau Perhaps you should become aware of China's regulations and the rules of whatever school you are enrolled at.

Did you attend all of your classes? Were you argumentative?

When you enroll at a school you sign a contract. You commit to attending class, acting in a civil manner, not working, and not being a pain in the ass.

The school commits to getting you the visa, teaching you Chinese, and giving you the opportunity to work at learning. The school assumes responsibility for your behavior, health and safety while China.

If you only attend some or most of the classes, do you expect the school to lie and report to were a diligent student? Do you expect you first school to blaze your way into China, spend money making you a legal, albeit temporary, resident, then expect to, at your whim, walk away without any normal sense of WTF?

China, for good or bad, runs on relationships. You fuck up the relationship you must expect to be, if lucky, politely, screwed.

My comments about KCEL are not fake. But I can assure you I have a low tolerance for whinny ignorant foreigners who think themselves unencumbered by agreements they make with Chinese and expect a business to accommodate their wishes of the instant.

You clearly stated," As long as you pay and stay they treat you nicely." Grow up. This works in China and will work pretty well anywhere.

@putzfrau, sorry it might sound like a silly question but I don't understand: were you attending classes regularly or not? so, did KCEL lie about your attendance?

@Liumingke: referring to an event 8years ago doenst prove anything. Things in China change so quickly.

About the visa and changing school thing. It depends on your home country and also whether you are male or female. If your home country has currently good relationships with China, you can expect to get your visa or renew your visa without hassle. If there is a lady in the school office and you are a guy and put on a big flirty smile on your face, she will be very helpful.

@Geezer: China runs only on relationships nothing else. I didnt quite understand this senetence "spend money making you a legal, albeit temporary, resident". The school charges school fees, registration fees and so on and if you change school, they wont give you any money back. So actually they havent lost anything except for face/repuation as a student likes another school better but not money.

@Kate.Kunming

I quite agree with you, if it were a non corrupt world. But there is a cost in establishing and maintaining relationships in China. Despite the religious fervor of Socialism, such relationships involve economic transactions. So Chinese are consistent and adhere to the economic behavior so well put by Adam Smith.

A Student visa grants the right to reside for a short period, a year or less, whilst pursuing education. Generally, a student visa does not provide for employment or travel activities in lieu of attending classes.

In the fall of either 2012 or 2013, I noticed attendance record keeping became formalized and consistent at KCEL. I was warned to clean up my act.

As an aside, I have been aware for years that the Chinese maintain dossiers on all foreigners. Further, these dossiers have been used to create a database for enforcement of tax laws and to improve tax collection. When I mentioned this on GoK forums, there was a bit of scoffing and discounting of the effectiveness of the government's ability to do it.

I assume the dossiers have been expanded to track students as well as teachers. I predict there will be wails of anguish as students are busted for unauthorized employment.

There is no free lunch!

An official warning should have been sufficient.

@Geezer
You are 100% correct about tracking of foreigners and the tax issues associated. I remember that after the visa clampdown in 2008 (stopping abuse of the F visa) tax revenues from foreigners went up manifold. If you fly anywhere it is logged.
There are still loopholes but these are being closed one by one. It would appear that the focus this year, in Kunming at least, is on the student visas.
Other countries have very tight visa restrictions, some even have tough enforcement. We should not be shocked that China is doing likewise.

@ Greezer. I absolutely agree with your comment: "But I can assure you I have a low tolerance for whinny ignorant foreigners who think themselves unencumbered by agreements they make with Chinese and expect a business to accommodate their wishes of the instant."

You are also right that relations in China are very important. Your relation to the Boss of KCEL is obvious (I'm also happy for you, when you were in need that he was there for you). That was your experience and explains your support for KCEL.

But students who let's say have an average or no relation with the Boss have a hard time trying to transfer From KCEL to another school. That was my experience and I saw others trying to leave. I only want to warn other students who might be in the same situation. That is all. This has nothing to do with attending classes.

I've browsed through some of your past comments. You seem like a smart guy contributing a lot of helpful stuff on this website...

All conspiracy theories aside, what we see here is part of a greater trend of China asserting itself globally and changes in how it sees itself.

The Chinese self-image is changing from "The sick man of China", one in which they are powerless and weak, in need of Western support and technology, to a Global super power in which they create the technology and standards for others to follow.

I suspect, (again putting aside the connections KCEL may or may not have or the influences they may or may not have over the visa process) many students are caught in the dragnet as part of the clean up effort of removing "undesirables". Where as in the past a white face pretty much gives you a free pass, viewed with reverence, it is now starting to be viewed with contempt as the "White devil" that needs to be removed from Chinese society as China becomes more self-sufficient. This attitude, I find, is not only changing at the political/governmental level, but also within the Chinese people themselves as reports of foreigners misbehaving and the number of foreigners permeating throughout Chinese society is increasing.

The foreign community in China as a whole needs to start watching what they are doing, that includes expats, tourists, dignitaries, all holders of foreign passports in China, as China is now taking a tougher stance. It is time to re-evaluate your attitudes and actions in China and make sure to cross your "T"s and dot your "I"s