Hong Kong secondary schools are concerned and warned that their ethnic minority students in the city are passing through an annoying and complicated process to get the mainland China visa approved.
The authorities have been called upon to see into this issue as travelling to China is part of the newly engaging core subject called "Citizenship and Social Development". Especially, form 5 pupils who must tour the mainland as part of the fulfilment to achieve a Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) and over 1000 ethnic minority students participate in the exams each year.
However, it was reported that the second batch of the compulsory student's 1-day tour to China this year will be held in July towards the end of the term. The first batch was in April when the hurdles of getting China visas for ethnic minority students were raised.
Yuen Kwok-ming, principal of one of the secondary schools in the city expressed his feelings that pupils and teachers would have to wait up to two hours to enter the mainland during the coming July trip if the problem persists. He said, 30 ethnic minority students, or half of those in Secondary Five, were expected to join.
The principal said further that his school organised a trip to Shenzhen and Guangzhou to visit universities last month. Eight non-Chinese students took part in the trip and all were asked to fill out forms at the border. “Then they were all kept waiting in the manual channels,” he said. He advised that pupils holding home return permits could cross the China border swiftly through electronic channels.
“We waited over half an hour for the eight non-Chinese students holding foreign passports to go across the border, he said.
Yuen expressed concern that pupils and teachers would have to wait up to two hours to enter the mainland during the coming July trip, which 30 ethnic minority students, or half of those in Secondary Five, were expected to join.
The principal said long waiting periods for immigration clearance would result in a shorter trip, adding transport already took more than two hours. Teachers and pupils who had crossed the border had to wait for everyone before setting off, he noted. “I don’t think much time will be left for site visits at the end,” he said.
Students were required to submit copies of their parents identity documents, marriage certificates, as well as their travel records. "There is plenty of information also need to fill in a form with different nationalities having different requirements for documents,” he said.
The principal said he expected some of the parents of the pupils might decide to stop passing through such a difficult process to apply for the visa in the future.
The authorities were urged to work with their counterparts over the border to make the immigration process smooth and effective for non-Chinese students.
校長關注香港少數族裔學生中國簽證問題
香港的中學擔心並警告說，他們在香港的少數民族學生正在通過一個煩人而復雜的程序來獲得中國大陸簽證的批准。
當局已被要求關注這個問題，因為前往中國旅行是新近參與的核心主題“公民身份和社會發展”的一部分。 特別是，為了獲得中等教育文憑（DSE）而必須到大陸旅遊的中五學生，每年有超過1000名少數民族學生參加考試。
不過，據悉，今年第二批必修生的中國一日遊將於7月臨近學期結束時舉行。 第一批是在 4 月份，當時提高了少數民族學生獲得中國簽證的門檻。
該市其中一所中學的校長袁國明表示，如果問題仍然存在，學生和教師在即將到來的七月旅行期間將不得不等待長達兩個小時才能進入大陸。 他說，預計有30名少數族裔學生參加，佔中五學生的一半。
校長進一步表示，他所在的學校上個月組織了一次去深圳和廣州參觀大學的旅行。 八名非中國學生參加了這次旅行，他們都被要求在邊境填寫表格。 “然後他們就一直在人工渠道等待，”他說。 他建議持有回國證的學生可以通過電子渠道快速過境。
“我們等了半個多小時，八名持外國護照的非中國學生過境，”他說。
袁表示擔心，在即將到來的 7 月旅行期間，學生和教師將不得不等待長達兩個小時才能進入大陸，預計將有 30 名少數民族學生參加，佔中五學生的一半。
校長表示，出入境檢查的漫長等待時間會縮短行程，並補充說交通已經花費了兩個多小時。 他指出，過境的老師和學生在出發前必須等待所有人。 “我認為最後不會有太多時間用於實地考察，”他說。
學生必須提交父母身份證明文件、結婚證以及旅行記錄的副本。 “有很多信息也需要填寫表格，不同國籍的人對文件有不同的要求，”他說。
校長表示，他預計一些學生的家長將來可能會決定不再通過如此艱難的程序來申請簽證。
敦促當局與邊境同行合作，使非中國學生的移民程序順利有效。
Comments