First Comes Passport, then Comes Visa

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

ShuPing told me that she tried to get a passport in China, but they would not give her one. She didn't or couldn't explain why, but I wondered what the possible reasons for this could be. It's so easy to get a passport here in the US. What's going on?

[rschaadtw]

My wife Jinnan said that it used to be tough to get a Chinese passport. You should try to find out why she can't be issued one, then perhaps someone can better help. I will gladly ask Jinnan if I knew the reason. Maybe it is possible she did not go to the right place. My wife, Jinnan, did not go to her local Security Bureau for her passport, it was more like a regional Security Bureau. Please provide more information if possible.

 

Richard

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

I just sent an e-mail to her. Hopefully she can tell me why.

[keelec]

Mark & ShuPing,

 

Good luck with the passport. It sounds like it is frustrating.

 

Apparently there is a game that some officials play that if you don't "play the game", then you can't get the services.

 

Does she have all of the documents that she needs? A birth certificate?

 

Here is an intersting post I saw today by JimB.

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....=15entry41513

 

I started a thread a few months  ago about my fiancee's problems with getting a birth certificate and passport for her daughter.  The daughter was a second child and not registered.  I finally ended up paying the RMB20000 fine for an unregistered birth.  They did not know an American was involved, or the fine could have been much higher, as much as RMB60000 to 80000.  The alternative to paying the fine is for both parents to be sterilized.   I won't go into details, but this wasn't possible.

 

  I guess the RMB 20000 is pretty much standard, unless they think they can get more.   They usually have to write a letter of apology to the official for violating the one child rule.  

 

  later, when she went to get a passport for her daughter. here's an excerpt from one of her emails.

 

  "I know I have to try my best to get our passports but I don't like what they are doing. Some of the officials in China always ask us for money when we need their service. They have got their salary from the government already but they are so greedy. I had to waste much time when I was there for Cindy's birth certifcate only because I didn't give her enough money which the terrible woman official expected. I went there early in the morning for Cindy's birth certificate and I gave the woman official a small red envelope with money. But she asked me to go there again in the afternoon. I had to return to the hotel and go there again in the afternoon and gave her another envelope with money. She was so greedy.

 

   But you are right. I will give them money for our passports since I have to. I have no other way out. I wish I could go to you sooner."

 

  That's how dealing with most officials in China goes.   "You pays the money you gets the service"   and they are very good at assessing the ability to pay, and the need for the service.

 

  I know it goes on here in the USA  also, but only in a few circumstances,  like building permits. and where a lot of money is involved. ie goverment projects.

 

jimb

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Thanks Clifford, ShuPing has a birth certificate for sure, but she may not have been able to get it earlier. She is from the far north and lives in Nanning. Her sister is bringing the birth certificate to her in Harbin, obviously she didn't have it. That may be the sticking point, I'm still trying to get an answer from her.

 

I'm sure there will be some type of bribe involved to get it. But we do what we must. Hell, if she gets it and comes here, she may forget to go back.

[yanhua]

She needs an appropriate reason for applying for her passport. Say,you can write her a letter,not an email, inviting her to visit you in the U.S. She should keep the cover of the letter with your address, poststamp and the invitation, have it translated by authorized agencies (she can find it near the office where she turns in application for her passport). She might also need an approval from her work if she is a government employee; if she works in a company it would be much easier. She needs to bring her red resident booklet to the local security office and have their to stamp on a paper, which means approval of her getting the passport. They need to check into her background.

[Eric&Yuhui]

ShuPing told me that she tried to get a passport in China, but they would not give her one.  She didn't or couldn't explain why, but I wondered what the possible reasons for this could be.  It's so easy to get a passport here in the US. What's going on?

Mark

Chinese have been better in recent years to issue passport for "private" travel.

Yet, you don't exactly get one by walking to the office in charge.

Here is what to do: Send her on a vacation !

I'm not kidding.

I sent Yuhui to Thailand for a week with a TOUR group. First trip out of the country ever. She was issued a passport just like that. Strangely enough, the tour guides hang on to everybody's passport while out of China.. but give them back while returning to China. You can head right back out by yourself this time , providing you get a visa from the destination country of course..

The passport is absolutely " normal " and standard issue ( no weird mention on it, like " can only travel to Japan between April 3 and 4,,, etc... ) , and then she can travel by herself. Et voila :-)

Tour guys take care of visa as well.

By the way, a week in Thailand with air and hotel cost us like USD 300 or so. You get a passport and fun :-)

Even best is to send her to a country which is ADS listed by China

( Approved Destination Status ).. lots of asian countries are.. The only western countries that are are South Africa and Australia.

This scheme was developped to bolster tourism between said countries and China. Chinese authorities designated a number of travel agents in China to establish links with the country travel agents to arrange group travel from China.

 

 

Yuhui got her passport without trips to PSB, stamps, permits, and all that crap. Minimum paperwork. She didn't go the ADS route though.. just a plain tour group. And no bribes whatsoever

Good luck

 

 

[danswayne]

Diana was having trouble getting a passport, because she kept getting the runaround about where to go and what to do. She spent about 3 weeks going to different offices to get info only to be told at almost every turn that she had to do something different first. That was before we contacted a family friend who is a Vice President or something like that in the local PSB and then things started to work out great. The friend made a couple of calls and then met Diana in the front of the main office and within just a couple days passport in hand and everything hunky dory. No bribes or travel needed. Although Eric's idea does sound great and the price sounds just like the prices in Changsha, we almost did that, but when they learned a foreigner was going along the price sky rocketed. Seems like we have a bad reputation of not buying all the junk they want us to along the way from the tourist traps they take us to during the trip. Henceforth no buy no cutback for the tour leader.

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Sounds like we'll have a passport for ShuPing soon. Thanks folks, this sheds a whole new light on the immigration process.

[Mick]

She needs an appropriate reason for applying for her passport. Say,you can write her a letter,not an email, inviting her to visit you in the U.S. She should keep the cover of the letter with your address, poststamp and the invitation, have it translated by authorized agencies (she can find it near the office where she turns in application for her passport). She might also need an approval from her work if she is a government employee; if she works in a company it would be much easier. She needs to bring her red resident booklet to the local security office and have their to stamp on a paper, which means approval of her getting the passport. They need to check into her background.

The steps described by Yanhua are basically the one's we had to follow. Getting the passport was no problem but some "extra fees" were involved at several steps along the way as I recall. The business about a letter from you formally inviting her to visit, our letter stated the purpose of marriage, is required in most places I think. Li had to present the envelope with US stamp and address on it as well. As for background checks, I am not sure they did that. Also, Li applied in her hometown but the paperwork had to go to the Provincial capital, then back. Can't recall how long it took but it was close to a month I think. Also, keep in mind that in China there always seems to be a way to get things done if you involve the right people. Connections are critical sometimes. Good luck and keep us posted.

[hypoclear]

Bea.. see pic <------ Says it was very easy for her to get her passport. She showed her ID card and her hukou book back at her home town. There was a question as to why she wanted it, she said she wanted to travel. This was last year and her hometown is Huidong which is in Guangdong province. Oct 2002. They mailed it to her in about 1 week so she only had to appear in person to fill out the forms.

 

So seems so trouble for that but getting a second visa to enter Hong Kong is causing problems.. hmm She went back to the same travel agency she got her first one from. They had told her the second visa would be quick easy... nope she has to have more paperwork this time than she had the first time!! maddening... but get this... she is making calls to her hometown and yup... just come out there and they will give her a new Hong Kong passport/visa thing with less paperwork than the original.

 

I don't know what to say as this is making less and less sense with each turn. I guess it all comes under the heading of entertainment!! meaning it gives you something to do.

 

Mark

[se_lang]

Bea.. see pic <------ Says it was very easy for her to get her passport. She showed her ID card and her hukou book back at her home town. There was a question as to why she wanted it, she said she wanted to travel. This was last year and her hometown is Huidong which is in Guangdong province. Oct 2002. They mailed it to her in about 1 week so she only had to appear in person to fill out the forms.

 

So seems so trouble for that but getting a second visa to enter Hong Kong is causing problems.. hmm She went back to the same travel agency she got her first one from. They had told her the second visa would be quick easy... nope she has to have more paperwork this time than she had the first time!! maddening... but get this... she is making calls to her hometown and yup... just come out there and they will give her a new Hong Kong passport/visa thing with less paperwork than the original.

 

I don't know what to say as this is making less and less sense with each turn. I guess it all comes under the heading of entertainment!! meaning it gives you something to do.

 

Mark

well only goes to show their government is as confused as ours.

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

I heard from ShuPing about the Passport. Here is the quote from her e-mail.

 

I tell you My passport must go home to take the pic.I have some pic in NanNing,but QiQiHr grovement can't JieShou.Let me must go home

take the pic.So  when I go home ,I can transact my passport.

 

So it sounds like she thinks she can get it, she just needs to go to QiQiHar. No problem, we'll be there the end of next week.

 

Why all the concern about a passport for ShuPing? Of course I just want her to be able to visit while we go through the process. However, I was just reading a post, from someone who said, if they had to do it all over again, they would bring their spouse over on a tourist visa and then apply for her to stay and not go back.

 

I realize this is probably not the most legitimate way to get through the system, possibly even illeagal, so I would never do it, but if someone did do it, what would be the implications? How would they go about it? Not for me, just curious.

[Guest jimb]

[QSo it sounds like she thinks she can get it, she just needs to go to QiQiHar. No problem, we'll be there the end of next week.

 

Why all the concern about a passport for ShuPing? Of course I just want her to be able to visit while we go through the process. However, I was just reading a post, from someone who said, if they had to do it all over again, they would bring their spouse over on a tourist visa and then apply for her to stay and not go back.

 

I realize this is probably not the most legitimate way to get through the system, possibly even illeagal, so I would never do it, but if someone did do it, what would be the implications? How would they go about it? Not for me, just curious.

 

UOTE]

 

If you think a K visa is hard to get, try getting a tourist visa for a young Chinese female. Not a chance.

 

jimb

[warpedbored]

Before I married my ex-wife (she is Japanese) I called the INS and asked them what I had to do to get married. They told me I had to get a fiance visa and it took six months. I asked what would happen if she came over on a tourist visa and we got married and they told me nothing, she could stay. Seemed like a no brainer to me. She came on a tourist visa and we got married. Went down to the INS office in Boise Idaho for an interview and filed the AOS. The VO frowned some when I told him our story but approved it anyway. In six months she had a permanent green card. That was in 1980 and much has changed since then. The biggest risk is if the VO decides she commited visa fraud by entering the country with the intention of getting married she could be banned for 10 years from re-entering the country. That would make for a very long engagement. Best to follow the rules.