Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

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This Privacy Policy explains how Bamboo Path, operated by Laura Mate, collects, uses, stores and shares personal information when visitors use our website or request our education-consulting and application-support services.

For the purposes of applicable data-protection legislation, the data controller is:

 

Trading name: Bamboo Path
Legal name: Laura Mate
Registered address: Barcelona (Spain)
Email: misslauramate@gmail.com
Website: www.bamboo-path.com

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Bamboo Path is established in Spain and processes personal information in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, and applicable Spanish data-protection legislation.

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2. Scope of this Privacy Policy

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This Privacy Policy applies when you:

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• visit or interact with our website;

• complete a contact, consultation or eligibility form;

• contact us by email, telephone, social media or a messaging application;

• book a consultation;

• request information about studying in China;

• ask us to identify or compare cities, courses and institutions;

• purchase an application-support service;

• submit a course or institution application through Bamboo Path;

• request general information or guidance about the student-visa process;

• participate in a webinar, event or marketing campaign;

• subscribe to our communications.
   

Bamboo Path provides services exclusively to people who are 18 years of age or older.  We do not accept or process applications from anyone under the age of 18, including where a parent or guardian offers to provide consent or act on the applicant’s behalf.  This Privacy Policy does not govern how  Chinese institutions, visa authorities or other independent organisations process personal information for their own purposes. Those organisations may provide their own privacy notices.

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3. Personal information we collect

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The information we collect depends on how you interact with Bamboo Path and which services you request.

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3.1 Contact and identification information

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This may include:

• full name;

• date of birth;

• nationality;

• country of residence;

• postal address;

• email address;

• telephone or WhatsApp number;

• passport or identity-document information;

• passport photograph;

• emergency-contact information.
   

We may use your date of birth or identification document to verify that you are at least 18 years old.

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3.2 Education information

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This may include:

• current or previous educational institution;

• qualifications;

• academic transcripts;

• certificates and diplomas;

• grades;

• current Chinese-language level;

• HSK or other examination results;

• preferred field or type of study;

• preferred course, city and institution;

• study objectives;

• curriculum vitae;

• personal statement or study plan;

• letters of recommendation.
   

3.3 Application information

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This may include:

• course and institution application forms;

• information required by the selected institution;

• supporting application documents;

• admissions correspondence;

• application reference numbers;

• application status;

• admission decisions;

• admission letters;

• accommodation preferences;

• intended course and travel dates.
   

3.4 Visa-related information
 

When providing general guidance about the student-visa process, we may review limited information relevant to understanding your situation. This may include:

• nationality;

• passport validity;

• intended course duration;

• admission documentation;

• intended travel date;

• questions about general visa requirements;

• copies of relevant documents that you voluntarily provide for guidance purposes.
   

Bamboo Path provides general and administrative guidance concerning the student-visa process.

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Bamboo Path does not:

• complete a visa application on your behalf;

• submit your visa application;

• manage your visa application;

• represent you before an embassy, consulate, visa application centre or immigration authority;

• make visa appointments on your behalf unless expressly agreed as a separate administrative service;

• make decisions about your eligibility for a visa;

• guarantee visa approval.
   

You remain responsible for completing and submitting your own visa application, providing accurate information, attending appointments and meeting all requirements and deadlines established by the relevant authorities.
 

3.5 Financial and transaction information
 

This may include:

• billing information;

• payment status;

• invoices;

• transaction references;

• refunds;

• records of Bamboo Path service fees;

• information about tuition, accommodation and application fees;

• scholarship or funding information.
   

Payments may be processed by an independent payment provider. Bamboo Path does not normally receive or store complete payment-card details.
 

3.6 Health and other sensitive information

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Certain institutions may require applicants to provide medical examination forms, health declarations or other health-related information.

Bamboo Path will only request or process this information when it is necessary for a selected application and when an appropriate legal basis exists.

Where required, we may ask for your explicit consent before processing health information. Providing consent does not guarantee admission or affect the independent assessment made by an institution.

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3.7 Website and technical information

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When you use our website, we may collect:

• IP address;

• browser type;

• device type;

• operating system;

• pages visited;

• referring website;

• approximate location;

• date and time of visits;

• cookie identifiers;

• website interactions and preferences;

• cookie-consent choices.
   

Additional information is provided in our Cookie Policy and through our cookie-consent banner.
 

3.8 Communications
 

We may retain records of communications exchanged through:

• email;

• website forms;

• telephone;

• WhatsApp or another messaging application;

• social-media accounts;

• video consultations;

• customer-support channels.
   

Telephone and video calls will not be recorded unless we inform you in advance and have an appropriate legal basis.

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4. How we collect personal information

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We may collect information:

• directly from you;

• through our website;

• through our cookie-consent banner;

• through email, telephone or messaging applications;

• through social-media platforms;

• from a representative whom you have expressly authorised;

• from a Chinese institution;

• from a language school, education partner or referral partner;

• from a payment provider;

• from publicly available sources where legally permitted.
   

If another person provides information on your behalf, that person must have your authority to do so and must make this Privacy Policy available to you.

We do not knowingly collect information for the purpose of processing an application from a person under the age of 18.
 

5. Why we use personal information

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We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;

• verify that you are at least 18 years old;

• assess your initial study requirements;

• understand your language-learning objectives;

• recommend potentially suitable cities, courses and institutions;

• compare course durations, levels and locations;

• explain tuition, accommodation and other expected costs;

• determine whether you appear to meet programme requirements;

• prepare and review course or institution applications;

• submit course or institution applications on your behalf;

• communicate with selected institutions;

• monitor and communicate application updates;

• assist with admission documentation;

• provide general information and practical guidance about the student-visa process;

• direct you to relevant official visa resources;

• provide pre-departure information;

• process payments and issue invoices;

• provide consultations and other purchased services;

• manage our contractual relationship with you;

• respond to questions or complaints;

• meet legal, accounting and tax obligations;

• protect our website, systems and services;

• prevent fraud, document falsification and misuse of our services;

• improve our website and services;

• manage the preferences recorded through our cookie-consent banner;

• send marketing communications where legally permitted;

• establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
   

Bamboo Path does not make admission, scholarship or visa decisions. These decisions are made independently by the relevant institutions, scholarship administrators and public authorities. We will not use personal information for purposes incompatible with those described in this Privacy Policy unless the additional use is required or permitted by law.

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6. Legal bases for processing

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We process personal information only where an appropriate legal basis exists. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following legal bases.

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6.1 Performance of a contract

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Processing may be necessary to:

• provide a consultation;

• provide an application-support service;

• compare cities, courses and institutions;

• prepare and submit a course or institution application;

• provide application-status updates;

• provide general visa-process guidance;

• process payments;

• deliver another service you have requested.
   

Bamboo Path’s standard contractual services do not include completing, submitting or managing a visa application on your behalf.

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6.2 Steps taken before entering into a contract

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We may process information to:

• respond to an enquiry;

• understand your objectives;

• assess whether we can assist you;

• prepare a proposal or recommendation;

• determine whether a particular service may be appropriate.
   

6.3 Consent

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We may ask for your consent when:

• sending optional marketing communications;

• using non-essential cookies;

• processing certain sensitive information;

• publishing a testimonial, photograph or success story;

• making a particular disclosure where consent is required;

• carrying out a particular international transfer where explicit consent is the applicable legal mechanism.
   

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn. It may, however, affect our ability to provide a service where the relevant processing is necessary for that service.
 

6.4 Compliance with legal obligations
 

We may process information to comply with:

• accounting and tax requirements;

• data-protection obligations;

• lawful governmental or regulatory requests;

• fraud-prevention and record-keeping requirements;

• court orders and other binding legal obligations.
   

6.5 Legitimate interests

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We may process limited information where necessary for legitimate business interests, including:

• responding to existing customers;

• maintaining service and application records;

• protecting our website and systems;

• preventing fraud and document falsification;

• improving our services;

• managing complaints;

• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.
   

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are overridden by your rights, interests and freedoms.

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7. Sharing personal information

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We may share personal information only when necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or where disclosure is required by law.

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7.1 Other application platforms

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Bamboo Path may need to submit the course application through another application platform, therefore we may provide the information and documents required to process that application to these platforms. Other platforms may process personal information in accordance with their own privacy terms and operational requirements. Bamboo Path does not control all processing performed independently by these platforms.
 

7.2 Chinese institutions

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We may share application information with:

• universities;

• colleges;

• language institutions;

• admissions departments;

• scholarship administrators;

• accommodation departments associated with an institution;

• other institutional departments involved in processing an application.
   

The institution ultimately decides whether to admit an applicant.
 

7.3 Visa authorities and related external providers
 

Bamboo Path does not ordinarily submit personal information to embassies, consulates, visa application centres or immigration authorities on your behalf.

You are responsible for submitting your visa application directly to the appropriate authority or authorised visa application centre. When providing general visa guidance, we may direct you to independent organisations, including:

• embassies and consulates;

• official visa application centres;

• authorised translation providers;

• document-certification providers;

• medical examination providers;

• insurance providers;

• courier services.
   

If you choose to use an independent provider, your relationship will be directly with that provider. You should review the provider’s privacy policy and service terms before submitting personal information.
 

7.4 Technology and professional service providers
 

We may use third parties that support:

• website hosting;

• secure cloud storage;

• email;

• customer-relationship management;

• online forms;

• analytics;

• messaging;

• payment processing;

• accounting;

• legal and compliance services;

• video conferencing;

• customer support.
   

Where a provider processes personal information on our behalf, we will seek to establish appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security arrangements.

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7.5 Public authorities

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We may disclose personal information where required by:

• applicable law;

• a valid court order;

• a regulatory requirement;

• a binding request from a competent authority;

• the need to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
   

7.6 Business transfers

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If Bamboo Path is sold, acquired, reorganised or transferred, relevant information may be disclosed to professional advisers, prospective purchasers or successor organisations. Any such disclosure will be subject to appropriate confidentiality, security and legal safeguards.
 

8. International transfers
 

Some organisations involved in processing applications are located outside the European Economic Area, including institutions in China. This means that personal information may be transferred to or accessed in countries whose data-protection laws differ from those of Spain and the European Union. Where required by the GDPR, Bamboo Path will seek to ensure that an appropriate mechanism is used for an international transfer.

Depending on the recipient and circumstances, this may include:

• an adequacy decision;

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission;

• other appropriate contractual or legal safeguards;

• an applicable legal derogation;

• your explicit consent, where legally appropriate and after you have been informed of the relevant risks.
   

Where applicable, we will also consider whether supplementary technical, contractual or organisational measures are necessary.

You may contact us for more information about the safeguards used for a particular international transfer. Providing information in this Privacy Policy does not by itself make an international transfer compliant. Bamboo Path will review the applicable transfer arrangement with its platforms, institutions and service providers.

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9. Visa guidance
 

After you receive an offer of admission, Bamboo Path may provide general information and practical guidance about the student-visa process.

This guidance may include:

• identifying official information that you should consult;

• explaining common stages in the visa process;

• providing a general document checklist;

• directing you to an official embassy, consulate or visa application centre;

• reminding you of commonly applicable deadlines;

• explaining general post-arrival administrative requirements.
   

Bamboo Path does not:

• provide legal or regulated immigration advice;

• complete your visa application;

• submit your visa application;

• manage your visa case;

• represent you before an authority;

• communicate with an authority as your immigration representative;

• influence the decision of an authority;

• guarantee visa approval.
   

Visa requirements, processes, fees and processing times may change. You must verify current requirements directly with the relevant embassy, consulate, visa application centre or other competent authority before acting. You remain responsible for:

• completing your visa application accurately;

• submitting the application and required documents;

• paying visa and external service fees;

• booking and attending appointments;

• providing biometric information where required;

• responding to requests from the relevant authority;

• following applicable immigration rules and deadlines.
   

10. Data retention
 

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• provide our services;

• complete or monitor an application;

• manage our relationship with you;

• respond to enquiries or complaints;

• comply with accounting, tax and other legal obligations;

• prevent fraud;

• establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
   

Our retention periods include or will be based on the following:

• General enquiries: [maximum 10 years]

• Consultation records: [maximum 10 years]

• Unsuccessful, withdrawn or abandoned applications: [maximum 10 years]

• Completed client and application files: [maximum 10 years]

• Invoices and accounting records: [maximum 10 years]

• Marketing records: until consent is withdrawn, an objection is received or the information is no longer required

• Cookie and analytics information: as described in our Cookie Policy
   

When information is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it or securely restrict its use, subject to applicable legal obligations.
 

11. Information security
 

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from:

• unauthorised access;

• accidental loss;

• unlawful disclosure;

• misuse;

• alteration;

• destruction.
   

These measures may include:

• access controls;

• password protection;

• multi-factor authentication;

• encryption where appropriate;

• secure cloud storage;

• confidentiality obligations;

• restricted access to application documents;

• secure deletion procedures;

• review of relevant service providers.
   

No website, email account, messaging service or online storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should avoid sending passport documents, health information or other sensitive material through unprotected channels unless instructed to do so through an appropriate process.

If you believe that your information or Bamboo Path account has been compromised, contact us immediately at misslauramate@gmail.com.

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12. Your data-protection rights
 

Subject to applicable law, you may have the following rights.

Access: You may ask whether we process your personal information and request a copy of that information.

Rectification: You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.

Erasure: You may ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances. The right to erasure is not absolute. We may need to retain limited information where required by law or necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Restriction: You may ask us to restrict the processing of personal information in certain circumstances.

Objection: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests. You may object to direct marketing at any time.

Data portability: Where applicable, you may request certain information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or ask for it to be transmitted to another organisation where technically feasible.

Withdrawal of consent: Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Complaint: You may submit a complaint to the relevant data-protection authority.

To exercise your rights, contact us at:

Email: misslauramate@gmail.com

Data-protection request: We may ask you to provide information necessary to verify your identity before responding. We will normally respond within the period required under applicable data-protection legislation. As a Spain-based organisation, Bamboo Path’s principal supervisory authority will generally be the:

Agencia Española de Protección de Datos, or AEPD
Website: https://www.aepd.es/

You may also be entitled to contact the data-protection authority in the EU or EEA country where you normally live or work.
 

13. Marketing communications
 

Where we have your consent, or where otherwise legally permitted, Bamboo Path may send information about:

• application periods;

• Chinese-language courses;

• Chinese institutions;

• scholarships;

• webinars and events;

• study-related services;

• relevant deadlines;

• Bamboo Path news and services.
   

You may unsubscribe at any time by:

• selecting the unsubscribe link in a marketing email;

• replying with an unsubscribe request;

• contacting us at [misslauramate@gmail.com];

• changing your available communication preferences.
   

We may retain limited information necessary to record your unsubscribe request and prevent further marketing messages. Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary communications about an active enquiry, service, payment or application.
 

14. Cookies and cookie-consent banner
 

Our website uses a cookie-consent banner through which visitors can accept, reject or manage available cookie categories.

Cookies and similar technologies may be used to:

• operate essential website functions;

• maintain website security;

• remember visitor preferences;

• understand how visitors use the website;

• measure website performance;

• provide analytics;

• support advertising and marketing activities where permitted.
   

Cookies that are strictly necessary for the website to function may be used without consent where permitted by law. Analytics, advertising and other non-essential cookies will only be used after you have made the relevant choice through the cookie-consent banner, where consent is legally required. You can use the cookie settings available on our website to review or change your choices. Withdrawal of cookie consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.
 

Our separate Cookie Policy provides information about:

• the cookies and similar technologies used;

• the provider of each cookie;

• the purpose of each cookie;

• how long each cookie remains active;

• whether information is transferred outside the European Economic Area;

• how you can change or withdraw your consent.
   

15. Adults-only service
 

Bamboo Path’s services are intended exclusively for people who are 18 years of age or older. We do not:

• accept course or institution applications from people under 18;

• provide application-support services to people under 18;

• accept applications submitted by parents or guardians on behalf of people under 18;

• process a minor’s application even where parental or guardian consent is available;

• knowingly collect a minor’s personal information for the purpose of providing our services.
   

By submitting an enquiry, booking a consultation, purchasing a service or asking Bamboo Path to process an application, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old. We may request limited information or documentation necessary to verify your age.
 

If we discover that an applicant is under 18, we may:

• stop providing services;

• decline or close the application;

• delete or restrict the applicant’s information where legally appropriate;

• retain only the limited information necessary to document the closure, meet legal obligations, prevent repeated submissions or resolve a dispute.
   

If you believe that a person under the age of 18 has provided personal information through our website, contact us immediately at [misslauramate@gmail.com].
 

16. Automated decision-making
 

Bamboo Path does not make decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects about applicants solely through automated processing.

We may use questionnaires, filters or digital tools to:

• organise enquiries;

• verify basic eligibility criteria;

• identify potentially relevant courses;

• compare programme characteristics;

• direct an enquiry to an appropriate service.
   

Any final recommendation made by Bamboo Path will involve human review. Admissions and scholarship decisions are made independently by the relevant institutions or scholarship administrators. Visa decisions are made exclusively by the relevant embassy, consulate, visa application centre, immigration authority or other competent authority. Bamboo Path cannot guarantee admission, a scholarship or visa approval.
 

17. Third-party websites and services
 

Our website may contain links to independent third-party websites and services, including:

• Chinese institutions;

• scholarship providers;

• embassies and consulates;

• official visa application centres;

• translation and document-certification providers;

• accommodation providers;

• payment providers;

• social-media platforms.
   

Bamboo Path does not control the privacy practices, content, availability or decisions of independent third parties. You should review the privacy policy and service terms of each third party before providing personal information. A link, introduction or referral does not mean that Bamboo Path owns, operates or controls the third-party service.
 

18. Testimonials, photographs and success stories
 

Bamboo Path will not publish your name, photograph, testimonial, application outcome or success story for promotional purposes without an appropriate legal basis. Where consent is required, we will ask for your permission before publication. You may withdraw your consent for future use by contacting us. Withdrawal will not affect copies already lawfully distributed or processing carried out before consent was withdrawn, although we will take reasonable steps to discontinue future use. We will not present a stock photograph, generated image or representative illustration as a genuine Bamboo Path customer.
 

19. Changes to this Privacy Policy
 

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect:

• changes to our services;

• changes to our providers or application platforms;

• changes to our data-processing activities;

• legal or regulatory developments;

• new institutional relationships;

• changes to international-transfer arrangements.
   

The latest version will be published on this page with the date of the most recent revision. Where a change materially affects how we process existing customer information, we will provide additional notice where required.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how Bamboo Path processes personal information, contact misslauramate@gmail.com.