However, the new policy announced on Dec 30 stipulated that nonresident children are not eligible for the 2013 exam.

By that time, Du's son and a dozen other children had missed the registration deadline in their home provinces, he said.

On Jan 11, Du and another 25 parents - four parents of high school students and 22 of middle school students - jointly submitted a formal request for an administrative review to the Ministry of Education. It asks the ministry to hold the Beijing commission accountable for failing to inform the parents and students before the registration deadline. The parents believed the authorities should also provide measures for students who missed the registration in their home provinces.

Two days later, the ministry told Du that parents also needed to hand in a letter of authorization to their lawyer, and their children's permission for an appeal on their behalf, before the ministry can decide to grant the parents' request.

The commission said the registration procedures this year are no different to previous years: Only when candidates complete both online registration and in-person confirmation will they be successfully registered. The commission also said it made it clear in its online question-and-answer section two days before the registration started that nonresident students were advised to register in their home provinces. It did not comment on whether it is responsible for such students missing their home provinces' deadlines, or when Beijing's final policy will be made.

Meanwhile, Du and the parents are preparing all the legal documents required to appeal to the ministry again in late January.

Concern in capital

Liu Yang, the Beijing native, fears that if the capital loosens its hukou restraints on the migrant population, growing numbers will flood into the city.

He said some may even become "gaokao immigrants", referring to those who try to become Beijing residents to enjoy the city's higher-education resources.

Zhu Yongxin, a member of the National People's Congress' Standing Committee - China's top legislative body - has been studying the issue since 2006. He sent a proposal addressing it to the education and public security ministries during China's two political sessions in 2012.

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