The World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium (WOEC2008) is a special program to be held on Saturday, 28th June, 2008, concurrently with three Subspecialty Day Programs.  All registrants of the WOC2008 are welcome to attend these educational symposia without additional tuition fees.  In the Colloquium, there will be 18 symposia running in simultaneous sessions featuring approximately 106 outstanding speakers from all four continents of the World. 

There will be three symposia focusing on teaching medical students in ophthalmology, new approaches of conducting and evaluating ophthalmic residency programs, and education of allied health professionals in ophthalmology respectively.  The WOEC2008 will also feature four symposia on Continuing Professional Development.  In addition there will be a symposium highlighting education of residency program directors.  The Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis will feature a symposia on “How to teach ophthalmic subspecialties by the world’s best teachers”.  Finally, there will be a symposium covering the grand design of advocating ophthalmic education by the International Council of Ophthalmology.   (List of Chairs of Scientific Sessions)

In addition to these 18 symposia, there will be a Speaker Luncheon to honor the speakers and organizers of the World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium 2008, to show our appreciation of these world class educators who are coming to contribute to this colloquium.  Dr. Bruce E. Spivey, President of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) will give a keynote speech at the Luncheon on the “Direction and Development of Ophthalmic Education in the Coming Decade”.  The Speaker Luncheon is limited to colloquium speakers, ICO Members, and special guests of the Colloquium.

We hope that this Colloquium will be a focal point of stimulation of ophthalmic education at the international level for years to come.

Visa Application

Visitors to Hong Kong must hold a passport or travel document (other than a document issued to stateless person) which is valid at least 1 month after period of intended stay. Document issued to stateless person must be valid at least 2 months after the period of intended stay.
At present, nationals of around 170 countries/territories may visit Hong Kong visa-free for a period ranging from 7 to 180 days. Please refer to http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_4.htm for a list of visa-required and visa-free (and the respective duration of visa-free periods) countries/territories.

Application for an entry visa/permit may be submitted to the Chinese diplomatic and consular mission closest to your place of residence. As an alternative, you may also submit to the HKSAR Immigration Department either directly by post or through a local sponsor. To shorten processing time, application forms and supporting documents can be sent by fax to the HKSAR Immigration Department at (852) 2824 1133 or (852) 2157 9085 in the first instance. However, the original copy of the duly completed application forms and the photograph required should be sent immediately to the HKSAR Immigration Department by air mail. An entry visa/permit will be issued only on receipt of an original, properly completed application form. For details of the application procedures, please refer to http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_4.htm.

An invitation letter may be required along with other visa application documents. To obtain a personalized invitation letter, you may log into your registration account at the WOC website (www.woc2008hongkong.org). Simply click the ‘Travel Information’ box, go down to “Invitation Letter DIY,” and fill out the form. Click “Submit” and then “Print” to make a copy of the invitation letter. A hotel confirmation letter may be required as a supporting document for your application. You may also use your WOC account to complete the online registration and hotel reservation procedures. Our official travel agent, Kenfair Travel Ltd., will be happy to help you with arranging your accommodation and other enquiries. Contact details of Kenfair are as follows:
Tel: (852) 3586 1590
Fax: (852) 2994 6876
Email: woc2008@kenfair.com

It normally takes 4 weeks to process an entry visa/permit application but in some cases, longer time may be required. You are strongly advised to apply for an entry visa/entry permit well in advice of the Congress.
If you will make a side-trip to the Mainland or Macau during your period of stay in Hong Kong, a double or triple-journey entry visa/permit (depending on the number of side-trips you will make) may be required in addition to the necessary visa for the Mainland or Macau.

For enquiries on visa matter, please contact the HKSAR Immigration Department on enquiry@immd.gov.hk