Brief Guide to Self-financed Taught Postgraduate Non-local Students

A) Planning your Stay before departure

Before your journey:

• make sure your passport and travel documents are valid and in order
• Obtain student visa in order to stay in Hong Kong for study
• Arrange for health/medical insurance if necessary
• Arrive in Hong Kong well before the semester begins, so that you can complete all the necessary registration matters and familiarize yourself with the new environment

Make sure you bring along all required documents with you. You can refer to relevant checklists before departure.

B) Settling in HK

Accommodation

Choices of accommodation for self-financed non-local students are as follows:

a) Guest houses near PolyU (e.g. The Anne Black, YWCA & the Caritas Bianchi Lodge)
b) Private rental units near PolyU

You may visit http://www.polyu.edu.hk/hall/nls/nls_sfnls.htm and http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/services/3-8_forNonLocalStudents_offcampus_accommodation.html for further details (e.g. application periods, relevant hostel fees, location, hostel regulations and other facilities). You should also browse http://www.polyu.edu.hk/hall/nonlocal/non-hall.htm and http://www.eaa.org.hk/consumers/doc/tenancy.pdf if you would like to lease a property at HK.

General Living Expenses in HK

The cost of meals and books as well as academic and other personal expenses vary. Dining cost differs substantially but HK$60-150 per day is sufficient generally. Personal miscellaneous expenses (including local transportation, laundry and sundries) should be around HK$2,000 per month on average. The above expenses are rough estimations only, living and academic expenses vary according to individual preferences; and specific disciplines may require higher academic expenses.

Banking Arrangements

a.  Money Transfer
If you do not have a bank account in Hong Kong, you will need to transfer money to HK upon arrival. This can be done either by instructing an overseas bank one or two weeks prior to your departure to send money in your name to a bank in Hong Kong or by carrying traveller’s cheques or a bank draft for deposit in a local account (personal cheques can also be deposited but may take up to three weeks to be cleared).
 
b.  Opening of bank accounts          
You will find it convenient to open a savings account with a local bank in Hong Kong. Most of the banks will ask you to produce the Hong Kong Identity Card or PolyU ID card and passport / travel document(s), e.g. Chinese Travel Permit (通 行证) when opening an account. Some banks may also ask overseas students to provide proof of permanent address (E.g. Mobile phone bill, driving licence with address or bank statement etc). A minimum deposit of HK$500 – 1,000* will be required for opening a savings account.
* For reference only. Amount of minimum deposit various for different banks.

c.  Banking services on campus
There are 2 mini-banks (The Hang Seng Bank and the Bank of East Asia) on the podium level of the Shaw Amenities Building.  Their business hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Mondays to Fridays).  Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are also available there and you will find it convenient to have an ATM card to withdraw money at any time.

d.  Credit Cards
Many establishments in Hong Kong accept major credit cards such as VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club but the University and most campus establishments do not.

e.  Currency
The Hong Kong currency (HK$) is linked to the US dollar at the rate of approximately US$1=HK$7.78.  Notes are denominated in $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1,000.  Coins are in $1, $2, $5, $10 and 10, 20 and 50 cents.  Traveller’s cheques can be cashed and foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks, money changers and major outlets.

Immigration Policies and Regulations Related to Non-local Students

a. Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID card)

According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance, non-local students permitted to stay in Hong Kong for more than 180 days must apply for
the 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 as soon as possible. Application should be made to the Hong Kong Immigration Department at:

In Person : 8/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel. No. : (852) 2824 6111 (Hotline)
Website : http://www.immd.gov.hk/index.html
E-mail Address : enquiry@immd.gov.hk

You may make an advanced booking via the Immigration Department’s 24-hour Telephone Booking Service at 2598 0888 or at http://www.gov.hk/icbooking. In making an appointment, you need to enter the number of your passport/travel documents as the number of the identity document. Please produce your passport/travel documents for the application. There is no charge for HKID card issued to new arrivals. The processing normally takes about 15 working days. Once you get the HKID card, you are entitled to use the government medical services at local rates. You are required to carry your HKID card at all times. In case you have lost it, you should report to the Police immediately and apply for a replacement at the Immigration Department.

b. Other Immigration-related Issues

• Visa Extension

It is your responsibility to extend your student visa before it expires.   Applications for visa extension will normally be accepted 4 weeks before its expiry.  Upon receipt of all necessary documents, it normally takes at least 2 to 3 weeks for the Immigration Department to process your application. You should follow the application procedures stipulated by the Immigration Department and announced via the Academic Secretariat near the end of Semester Two each year to submit the application for visa extension.  Please note that you must be physically in Hong Kong on the dates of submission of application and collection of the visa label.

• Immigration Restrictions on Employment / Related Matters

It is important for students holding student visa to comply with immigration regulations and conditions of stay in Hong Kong. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has implemented a set of new immigration measures relaxing certain restrictions in respect of internship, part-time on campus employment and summer job for non-local students with effective from May 19, 2008.    Eligible students will be notified of the relaxation individually by a "No Objection Letter" (NOL) upon approval of entry/extension of stay applications.  You may also wish to refer to the Immigration Department Official Website for policy details.  For those who are planning for full-time employment after graduation, it will be useful to check out the requirements listed in the Immigration Department official website. FAQs are also found at http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/faq_ipoe.htm and http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/faq_nlc.htm .

Insurance and Health Care

The Campus Clinic (http://www.polyu.edu.hk/uhs or 2766 5433) provides primary health care to full-time students. For emergency consultation when the Campus Clinic is closed, you may reach the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the nearest public hospital, for assistance. The hospital address is: 30 Gascoigne Road, Kowloon (Tel. No: 2958 8888)

The University has already prepared a basic insurance coverage for students for joining PolyU activities during their stay in Hong Kong. However, medical and general accident insurance will not be provided by the University.  You are encouraged to arrange yourselves for appropriate insurance scheme (e.g. insurance coverage against illness, accidents and public liability) for better protection.

*Upon admission from the academic year 2008/09, all non-local students should undertake a health assessment, including a chest X-ray at University Health Service. In order to facilitate medical doctors in the health assessment, please bring along relevant medical records or investigation results that you might have.  (All the information will be kept strictly confidential)

Weather in Hong Kong

Updated weather forecast can be found at: http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/current.htm
               

Food

On-campus
There are two student canteens, a student restaurant, a coffee lounge, a theatre lounge and two cafes on campus.  The basic meal charges at campus catering outlets (excluding summer term) is HK$20,000 per annum.  Please refer to the below link: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fo/FO_Web/index.php?page=8&subpage=catgtcc for the opening hours of these catering outlets.  Drinks and snacks are also available at the 7-11 Convenience Store in Shaw Amenities Building.

Halal Meal boxes are available at the Student Canteen at 3/F., Communal Building. Students can re-heat the meal boxes themselves at the canteen before consuming. For details, please contact our caterer at 2766 6982 or CSD2806@maxims.com.hk.

Off-campus
Many restaurants are located in Hunghom and East of Tsim Sha Tsui which are within walking distance of campus. There are Chinese, Western, Japanese and other restaurants offering a variety of food.

Grocery Shopping

Park n Shop and Wellcome are the two major supermarkets in Hong Kong. You will be able to find groceries, fresh meat, fruit and vegetables in these supermarkets and the local markets.

Electricity

The voltage here is 200/220 volts, 50 cycles. The electric plugs used in Hong Kong have three rectangular prongs that form a triangle.  The plug is three-wire grounded and fused for all connections to the power mains.  You are recommended to bring an adapter for the electrical appliances which you bring to Hong Kong.

Post Office

The Post Office nearest to PolyU campus is located at International Mail Centre, 80 Salisbury Road, Kowloon. The opening hours of different post offices vary, you can get more information from the 24-hour Post Office Enquiry Hotline 2921 2222 or their website: http://www.hongkongpost.com. Stamps in booklets of the three commonly used denominations can be purchased from the 7-eleven convenience stores.

Transportation

From HK International Airport to PolyU campus :

By Taxi :
Take a taxi from the airport and ask the driver to take you to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  The journey will take around 45-60 minutes and cost about $250-300, including toll fees for tunnels.  Surcharges of HK$5 will be charged per piece of luggage.

By Airport Express :
Take the Airport Express from the airport to the MTR Kowloon Station.  The journey will take around 21 minutes and cost $90.  Then, take a taxi from the Kowloon Station to the PolyU campus. It will take around 15-20 minutes and cost around HK$30-50. Surcharges of HK$5 will be charged per piece of luggage.  Or you may take the Airport Express Shuttle Bus (Route No.K1) at the Kowloon Station to the MTR Hung Hom Station.

By Airport Bus :
Take the Airport Bus Route No. A21 from the airport to the MTR Hung Hom Station.  The journey will take around 60-75 minutes and cost HK$33.

*More transportation options from the airport can be found at : http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/index.html . 

From MTR Hung Hom Station to PolyU Campus :

If you come to Hong Kong by railway, you may get off at the MTR Hung Hom Station of the East Rail Line and find Exit A1 for PolyU campus.

Telephone Calls & Internet Access

Local calls are free, except through public phone booths, which charges HK$1 per call or HK$1 for every 5 minutes. Public pay phones can be found on the podium level of various cores. 

International calls can be made at most pay phones, but students are advised to do so at telephones which operate with calling cards. These cards can be purchased at convenient stores throughout the territory and they are available at the 7-11 Convenience Store in Shaw Amenities Building.

Free Internet access is available at the computer centres on campus and at the HKSAR public libraries.
 
Useful Telephone Numbers in Hong Kong

C) Enjoy your University Life in PolyU

List of services and facilities available for FULL-TIME non-local postgraduate students in taught master’s degree programmes:

1) Complementary Studies Programme (CSP)
A great variety of short courses are run three rounds a year. Enrolment Fee is HK$50 per course and you may know more details at:     http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/csp

2) Personal Development Programme (PDP)
The programmes focus on building up core competencies conducive to the all-round development of our students. You are able to enrol into the PDP with your own pace. Please visit our website www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/pdp for the latest activity schedule.

3) Physical Education Courses
Throughout the academic year, around 300 courses are offered to full-time students to introduce the concept of physical education and basic skills in over 20 different kinds of sports activities. For enquiries, please go to: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/mainphysical.html

4) Counselling Services
Professionally-trained and experienced counsellors are available to listen to your concerns, provide support and explore ways for achieving changes that you would like to make. The service is free and all information will be kept confidential. If you want to have appointments with our counsellors, you can book on-line at: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sams for counselling appointment.

5) Career Services

Career Development Services Section (CDS) of Student Affairs Office actively seeks out employment opportunities for graduates. Major employers usually host recruitment talks or job fairs on campus to recruit final year students for graduate positions. All full time taught postgraduate students will have access to attend the recruitment talks which are targeted at postgraduates upon registration through SAMS. Students are encouraged to access to job vacancies through the PolyU Job Board.

To help you better prepare for your career, all full time taught postgraduate students are welcome to enroll in the training workshops* offered by CDS via SAMS at www.polyu.edu.hk/sams.

For more information about our services, please visit www.polyu.edu.hk/careers.

*Pre-requisite requirements sometimes are set for particular workshop.

Note: Recruiting and career training service are not open to exchange program students. We encourage exchange students to keep in touch regularly with their home school to obtain career advice and related professional development support.

Student Facilities & Amenities

I) Sports Facilities

On-campus:

• The Shaw Sports Complex consists of Sports Hall No.1 for major ball games; Sports Practice Hall for badminton, martial arts, fencing, and volleyball; a fitness room; two golf practice bays; an activity room; two rooftop tennis courts, and a table-tennis room.
• The Michael Clinton Swimming Pool adjacent to Shaw Sports Complex, is an outdoor pool of 50 meter in length with 8 swimming lanes.
• The Fong Shu Chuen Hall near Shaw Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports hall for basketball, volleyball and badminton.
• The Keith Legg Sports Field includes a five-a-side artificial turf soccer pitch.
• The Kwong On Jubilee Sports Centre in the Communal Building comprises Sports Hall No.2 for basketball and badminton, four squash courts, an activity room and a laboratory for fitness testing.

Off-campus:
The Joint Sports Centre at Renfrew Road, Kowloon Tong, which is shared with Hong Kong Baptist University and the City University of Hong Kong, provides a 400m all-weather track, a 11-a-size natural grass soccer pitch, an outdoor multi-purpose court for basketball, volleyball, handball and five-a-side soccer; and four tennis courts for sports competitions, training and recreational use

Booking of the above sports facilities can be made at the Kwong On Jubilee Sports Centre, Shaw Sports Complex and Keith Legg Sports Field, or via the web at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/sports
               

II) Communal Facilities

a) Facilities available at the Amenities Centre include music appreciation and practice rooms, multi-purpose rooms, common rooms, and exhibition venues.  Online booking is available at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sams .

b) Prayer Room is located at PQ502a. This room is for praying only and no advance booking is required. You may click <here> for details regarding the use of the Prayer Room.

Visit SAO website at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao or call Enquiries Hotline at 2766 6800 to obtain general information and application details for services and facilities listed above.