A police officer from the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau instructs overseas students to use WeChat for online application on Sept 17. [Photo/longhoo.net]

International students studying at the colleges and universities in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, can apply for temporary residence online, the local public security bureau announced earlier this month. 

September marks the beginning of a new semester, the peak season for international students to apply or renew their visas and residence permit. 

Liu Yan from the local entry and exit administration said Nanjing welcomed an even larger group of overseas students this year. 

"We accept an average of 400 applications every day, a year-on-year increase of 12 percent," she said. 

To release the peak season burden and quicken the students' application processes, the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau took the lead in developing a program on its official WeChat account of NJgongan, which by joining hands with local higher learning institutions and collecting the overseas student information already registered there, can allow foreigners to apply for temporary residence online, without having to visit the local police stations. 

Average of 1,000 students benefit from the convenience every day.

A police officer helps an international student for residence permit application on Sept 17. [Photo/longhoo.net]