Question. I have a friend in hospital who has a visa renewal tomorrow.

[casualbiker]

Ok. My friend had a motorcycle accident and fractured 4 ribs and disjointed his shoulder and broke his wrist (both arms in plaster), he has a visa renewal tomorrow. The hospital have said that he might be discharged in the morning. But obviously he is in plaster and pain. Can he get a letter from the hospital for our schools visa admin to take to immigration to renew his visa? What options are there ?

Thanks

[NancyL]

Yes. If he's in a private hospital, talk with the hospital's customer service department. They should be able to arrange for him to get the necessary form, signed by a doctor. It's important that the form say he can't travel for XX days into the future. Often hospitals/doctors will supply a form that says someone was under their care from XX to XX listing dates in the past, but that doesn't help at Immigration. You want dates in the future listed to prove inability to travel and appear at Immigration.

Otherwise, Immigration will assume that if you've been discharged from the hospital, then you're fit enough to appear at Immigration.

If your friend was in a government hospital, then there probably isn't the equivalent of a customer service department and you're going to have to find a friendly nurse (maybe the head nurse on the ward?) to help track down the doctor and get a similar form signed for you.

Be sure the form has the hospital's stamp over the doctor's signature.

Then make copies of the necessary passport pages and fill out the TM 7 form. Get your friend to sign it. You'll need his photo on the TM 7 form. All that can be take to Immigration on his behalf, with the doctor's statement to obtain an extension for him.

[ubonjoe]

It should not be difficult to get a letter from the hospital addressed to immigration stating he cannot travel so that somebody else could apply for his extension of stay(not a visa).

[casualbiker]

Thanks