It wasn't until everything was done, and the X-visa was in Myles' passport, that we were able to sort through what was required by the school/education bueaou and what was required by the Entry-Exit Bureau, the government body that issues visas. While we were deep in the process, we were drowning in forms and photocopies.
For instance, the admissions office at Shiyou told us we needed to get Myles' birth certificate notarized by the US Embassy. This was because student visa would need to be issued before his resident dependent visa expired nine days before his 18th birthday. The school would be in loco parentis (in Chinese 代替父母Dàitì fùmǔ) for that week. They assured me it was a simple process and the embassy would know what to do. We told the school that we had a work around for 代替父母, that we could apply for a 30-day extension and then apply for the X-visa after Myles turned 18. The people at the school insisted that it was better not to delay the student visa, so we followed their recommendations. They are in the business of admitting foreign students, so surely they knew what would be best.
I researched Googled around, and found that, for a US birth certificate to be used in an official manner in China, it has to be authenticated, not notarized. I created this flow chart to illustrate the authentication process.
Since we are in China, every one of those arrows in between the blocks would require mailing the packet of documents between somewhere in the US and to us in China and then back again. Even the step that goes to a PRC embassy or consulate has to be sent to the US as the MFA in China does not handle that sort of thing. That could take months, and we only had four or five weeks.
I made an appointment for notary services as soon as I could at the US Embassy. Even though I was quite sure that the correct procedure was above, Shiyou assured me that all I needed for their purposes was a US Embassy Notary Seal affirming that Myles' birth certificate was issued in the US. A form, or a letter, would suffice.
It was my first time going to the Embassy for a notary. I was happy to see that the appointments were only in the afternoon. Unlike our passport appointments, I wouldn't have to leave the house early morning to make it in time as the embassy is more than an hour away by car.
When I got to the notary he advised me what I was requesting was not the correct process and he printed out instructions like what I have linked to above. He had just had another visitor earlier that afternoon who needed the same guidance. I told him that the school was clear that what they wanted was simple, so (for the fee, of course) he agreed to notarize a handwritten note from me that the birth record for my son was issued in his US place of birth. After he attached his seal to it, he wished me luck, surely believing it was a waste of my money and both of our time.
However, when Myles took it into the student affairs office, they told him that, yes, this was exactly what they needed to satisfy the Education Bureau for 代替父母. Then they issued him a letter (different from his admissions letter) that he was to submit to Yonghegong Exit-Entry Administration along with everything else to apply for his X-visa. Myles asked specifically about the JW202, that magic form that we had been chasing since spring. They told him the letter was enough (and in one brochure we had from Exit-Entry it did indicate something about JW202 or a letter from the Education Bureau, which maybe this was).
Even our HR department was uncertain about whether we had everything we needed for Myles' student visa. She advised me to prepare a letter asking for an extension to give us and Shiyou more time to assemble the proper documentation. We thought for sure the birth certificate notarization was not correct, and that maybe we still would need the JW202. We went to Yonghegong with Myles and all our paperwork early before Myles' classes began in the afternoon.
When it was our turn, we found that Exit-Entry had no need of Myles' birth certificate. That apparently was just for the school, and that notarized note really was adequate for Shiyou. The JW202 substitute letter from the school along with his admissions offer were also enough, once we called the International Student Affairs Office and put the immigration officer on the phone with them so they could confirm that our documentation was not forged and Myles was, in fact, a student at Shiyou.
The one problem, the only potential delay, was that the physical examination that was satisfactory for school admission was not valid for his application. This would also be true for students who apply from abroad. They would also have to re-do the health examination at the International Travel Healthcare Center in Haidian District to include with their visa application. With the help of my HR representative, I made an appointment for Myles for that Sunday morning. When we showed the immigration official the appointment confirmation text message, he allowed Myles' application to proceed. The medical results would have to be brought in before the October holiday shutdown began. But his application would move forward without it.
And that was it. Myles still had to get a new medical exam, but everything was essentially done. He would have an X-visa before his old one expired and before his birthday. We never even needed the letter I wrote requesting an extension to buy us more time.
Of course, the real work for Myles was only beginning. Eighteen hours of class time, plus hours of homework, every week. But he was able to remain with us a little longer and not have to face endless uncertainties without us in the US.
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