Results tagged “visas”

The 60th Anniversary of the founding of Communist China isn't going to be a headache just because of the raucous celebrations (complete with fireworks that we're pretty sure would rival the Spring Festival) - it's also going to make getting F business visas a giant pain in the ass.

A Shanghai man who had helped hundreds of Chinese travel abroad with visas based on falsified information has been given a 14-year prison sentence. 30-year-old Jiang Yi is accused of running one of the country's biggest human smuggling rings so far discovered.

If you can prove to China that you're a "qualified expert" on something, you might soon be in luck with regards to your visa situation. According to the Shanghai government, high-level professionals who meet several standards could convert their temporary stay permit to a permanent residency in 2009.

In fact, all cities hosting Olympic events will do the same. The Shanghai Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Commission said it will postpone approval of notification letters needed for business visas until mid-September for all but essential travel, ruling out visits for market research, training or to carry out inspections. Some, albeit limited leeway exists. Foreigners can apply for business visas for "urgent" matters but the Chinese counterpart inviting them will need to give detailed supporting documentation.

Someone once said 'an unjust law is no law at all,' but perhaps a more accurate rephrasing would read 'an unenforced law is no law at all.' This has largely been our experience, at least, when it comes to navigating our way through the complicated legal terrain of the PRC. No approved foreign media outlets, but a hundred (illegal) satellite dishes on every apartment complex (and hotel for that matter). Only a handful of state-sanctioned (and censored) foreign films released in theaters each year, but literally thousands more (pirated and uncut) are available on almost every urban street corner. And it is also technically undocumented migrants to reside and work in Shanghai, never mind that they've literally built the place. You get the picture.

A few weeks ago, Richard Brubaker of All Roads Lead to China reported:

I just received an email from a friend who said that they were being told they could not renew their F visa fro within China anymore. A quick Skype to another confirmed that F visas cannot be extended past the Olympics.