long term visa for settling in china

[mickw]

Hi Guys

This question is primarily aimed at the members who are married and living in china with their wives.

Long term, my better half and myself have discussed the possibility of us moving back to china after i retire ,shes hopefully coming to the UK assuming the spousal visa is granted ,and proposes to live here a few years till i finish work.

What type of chinese visa do we get for a long term stay /or to live there permanantly ,as we're married to a chinese national.?

cheers

Mike

[Paul Todd]

Hi Mike,

If your married to a Chinese national then you are entitled to an extended "L" visa, that's a Tourist or sometimes called a family visit visa. If you arrive here on a standard "L" visa then a couple of days before it expires you can go to your local PSB ( Public Security Bureau) office and they will give you the Extended version for a few hundred rmb. Usually the first time you get 6 months and after that it could be up to 2 years depending on how the officer sitting behind the desk is feeling on that particular day. It really is that random. You can keep on extending this visa indefinitely. They don't make it difficult to live with your wife over here and if all you have to do is visit the PSB once or twice a year then that's no real hardship. This type of visa does not give you the right to work or pay tax's in China but as your retired I don't think it will make much difference to you!
In theory after 5 years you can apply for the holy grail of visa's which is the "D" type. In practice unless you have invested a great deal of money here or have the right connections this is never going to happen to your average moral.
I'm not sure if you can get this extended "L" visa in the UK or if it's only available once your here. I would check that out at http://www.chinesevisadirect.co.uk
even if you can't get it back home like I said it's not difficult to do here, unless of course your Willy that is and they only give you 3 months!
A couple of other points are that you will have to register your stay at different police station if your not staying in a hotel and some PSB's want you to have a medical for the longer "L" visa's. The medical is cursory and  totally at the discretion of what the PSB officer on that particular day wants you to do.
Hope this helps.

Paul

[Jimmy]

Paul is exactly correct. I got the extended family visa before I left the US. It is good for 2 years 180 days per stay. It was the same price as a 30 day single entry.
All that I had to do different. Was send a letter of invite from my wife and my red book with the application.
But I am in the US don't know if it is different for you.

[Willy The Londoner]

like I said it's not difficult to do here, unless of course your Willy that is and they only give you 3 months!

But then maybe the women officers at the PSB just like me to keep going back to see them!!!!

My last one was for 6 months with no need to leave and come back in that time.   But I will definately go for the two years in February.    You can only get it in China but depending on when you propose moving here then things can change.

I think the USA is different than the UK in this respect.

Even after five years if you qualify for permanent residency then it is not permanent - you have to re-apply every so often - not sure if it is every five or ten years.

Willy

[ttwjr32]

its good for 5 years at a time.

[Paul Todd]

I think you'll find it's for 10 years Ted.........read on,

Press Release.....China Daily
Chinese Green Card for Gilbert

On 6 November 2009 Gilbert finally picked up his Chinese Green Card. He feels honored and happy to be now, more officially, “Half Beijinger” (“Yi Ban Bei Jing Ren”)
It is officially called “Permanent Residence Permit for Foreigners in the PRC” and is difficult to obtain. The approval procedure is lengthy and complicated, and applicants must satisfy many conditions.

The Card has several advantages, such as:

•    For foreigners above 18 years it is valid for 10 years. Because the Ministry of Public Security issues the card, it is valid throughout China.
•    Easy entry and exit: With a passport and the Card one can go in and out of China freely. So the Card saves the time and expenses needed to get a visa. It can also be used separately as a legal certificate to stay in Beijing.
•    Employment: Foreign expats without resident permits are not allowed by law to work in China without approval. But there is no regulation limiting foreigners with Chinese Green Cards about employment. Foreign expats with the Card should be allowed to work and treated according to all Chinese labor laws.
•    Rent: Foreign expats with a Green Card have the same rights in civil and commercial affairs as Chinese citizens. They can rent or lease houses without examination or approval from the public security bureau.
•    With a the Card, one can buy commercial housing or even economic-class houses in the city they reside in, if they meet the requirement.
Gilbert is not yet aware of anybody else holding the Green Card.

[ttwjr32]

Paul,

Ilike the work and be treated like all chinese citizens.  hahah does that mean you get to be used and abused while here???

[ttwjr32]

On a more serious note though. When i come here again i will secure the work visa before i leave so as to
not depend on your lady for the visa if it all goes south on you. And contrary to popular belief,if you are from
the USA the first work visa has to be secured from the USA. Hong Kong is only an option for your second one.
Going thru this now.

[Paul Todd]

Ted I contacted the visa agent that was recommended to me by my school in Hong Kong and asked them about this. I have a American friend who got his first Z visa in HK a couple of weeks ago but I thought I would check anyway. I told them I was from the US and this was my first Z visa. they wrote:-
fbt-chinavisa
Hi Paul
Yes,we can get the z visa for you in Hong Kong. Normally it would take 4 days or we can express it within 1. We require two documents,that your school will provided. Do you have the two documents?
Regards
from luk tak

So according to them, if your from the US your first Z visa can be secured in HK no problem.

[ttwjr32]

Maybe the schools all operate differently?? Dont know as the 3 i am talking to have said they will do it this way.
But i also have to go back for other reasons and they know this so maybe thats the reason?? But when i did talk with
them they wanted or mentioned it this way before i even told them i was going back? So i dont know just thought it
was needed to be done this way from what they said.

[Willy The Londoner]

But has anyone actually tried these agents?  A lot of people in Hong Kong will say they can do something but from what I heard they take the money and you may or may not get what you require.

So until someone has used these method we will never know for sure.

So who will be the first American to try it?

Willy

[Martin]

Too bad Ted is back in the USA. He could have tried it.

[ttwjr32]

not back yet but will be very soon 1 day plus flight. but i am going with what the schools told me
not with what Paul said because they were happy i was going back anyway because they would
just pay for the return flight.

But i am thinking of staying 2 or 3 years and rekindling something. Yes China will be here in 3 years.

[Paul Todd]

Willy,

The visa agent in Hong Kong was recommended to me by my school here in Baoding as I wrote in my post. I went there to get my Z visa with no problem at all, so did my US friend a couple of weeks ago. "So who will be the first American to try it?".....I think that time has well past as they have been in business for a few years now! If anyone is going to HK for a Z visa I can highly recommend their fast and efficient service be you from the USA  or anywhere else.

[Willy The Londoner]

Well thank goodness I no longer have to go out to work.  What sort of trials and tribulations would I go through if I needed a work visa. 

Willy