New Q1 and Q2 Visa for Traveling and even Residing in China

[Stone]

Hi,

 

There are new recently implemented Q1 and Q2 visa categories which would make visiting and even living in China easier, right?

 

For those American citizens with Chinese spouses, they can now apply for Q1 or Q2 visa. I mean they do not need formal employment in China, so long as their spouses are Chinese citizens, they can apply for Q1 or Q2 visa. I think it makes things a lot easier.

[Randy W]

Hi,

 

There are new recently implemented Q1 and Q2 visa categories which would make visiting and even living in China easier, right?

 

For those American citizens with Chinese spouses, they can now apply for Q1 or Q2 visa. I mean they do not need formal employment in China, so long as their spouses are Chinese citizens, they can apply for Q1 or Q2 visa. I think it makes things a lot easier.

 

 

I have been here for 3 1/2 years now - no jobs or visa runs are required. New visas may be acquired through the local PSB Entry and Exit administration. I believe the new categories are simply a way of standardizing the issuance and requirements for these visas.

 

I'll be going tomorrow to apply for my fifth one - I'll see what they can do for me then.

[Stone]

I remember 10 years ago when I was in China on a work visa (I think it was an Z visa), every time when I changed my employer, I had to find a new Company in China to sponsor me for a new work visa. It was a headache because I had to went through so many loops.

 

Now I think the new Q1 and Q2 visas would make living in China easier. Randy: I am glad to hear that no job is required. But you said it would be 5th time. Do you mean they would only extend your visa for only 6 months at a time? When I had my work visa (Z), they allowed 1 year extension at a time.

[Randy W]

 

I remember 10 years ago when I was in China on a work visa (I think it was an Z visa), every time when I changed my employer, I had to find a new Company in China to sponsor me for a new work visa. It was a headache because I had to went through so many loops.

 

Now I think the new Q1 and Q2 visas would make living in China easier. Randy: I am glad to hear that no job is required. But you said it would be 5th time. Do you mean they would only extend your visa for only 6 months at a time? When I had my work visa (Z), they allowed 1 year extension at a time.

 

 

The visas have been one year duration. The work visa requirement has not changed - you must get an employer to sponsor your visa, and are not allowed to changed employers, except with a new visa. I expect that ALL visas will continue to be for a 1 year duration, until you have lived in China for 5 years - at this point, you are eligible to apply for the Chinese green card, or for a more extended duration.

 

One of my visas was only granted for six months, since they had changed the requirements for a Dept. of State certified marriage license - a university-translated copy is no longer good enough.

 

The new regulations MAY make it easier to get multiple year visas - I'll find out tomorrow. But basically, you go to the PSB Entry and Exit Bureau, and they'll tell you what your options are, what you're eligible for, and how much you have to pay (usually around ¥950).

 

The Q1 and Q2 visas are simply new categories split off from the old L visas and residence permits. I've been in this category as long as I've been here, except for my one year of teaching.

[Randy W]

A link to the current visa application form for applying from overseas - http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/vp/12345/P020130903788901728372.pdf

 

I see it has a checkbox for "Family reunion for over 180 days with Chinese citizen or foreigner with Chinese permanent residence status", but still none for the two year visa that many of us have gotten from the Chinese consulates in the U.S.

 

We had to delay our application for my visa until tomorrow - the local PSB station had lost power.

 

Most of the new visa categories are dependent on the local PSB Entry and Exit Bureau - I expect you'll still pretty much get the same L-visa (or equivalent) that you've gotten in the past from overseas, and then have to go to the PSB for anything further.

[dan1984]

A link to the current visa application form for applying from overseas - http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/vp/12345/P020130903788901728372.pdf

 

I see it has a checkbox for "Family reunion for over 180 days with Chinese citizen or foreigner with Chinese permanent residence status", but still none for the two year visa that many of us have gotten from the Chinese consulates in the U.S.

 

We had to delay our application for my visa until tomorrow - the local PSB station had lost power.

 

Most of the new visa categories are dependent on the local PSB Entry and Exit Bureau - I expect you'll still pretty much get the same L-visa (or equivalent) that you've gotten in the past from overseas, and then have to go to the PSB for anything further.

 

Please do update us on what you find in applying for your new visa - curious to see how this will all work out with the new visa regulations and categories. I just got my new work permit and am good through September 2014, really happy about that.

[Randy W]

Now that I'm over 60, I should be eligible for a two year visa (I hope) in whatever category. That'll carry me past my 5 year anniversary - I arrived in Dec., 2009.

[Randy W]

I'm eligible for a 2 year L-visa - exactly what I would have gotten under the old rules.

 

BUT - buried in the fine print, a medical exam is required. The last one I'd had was in Feb., 2010 when I got my original resident permit for teaching.

 

So we get a short trip to Guigang tomorrow (about one hour away) before we go back to the PSB on Friday.

[Randy W]

That's what the new regulations apparently amount to for us - a free medical exam (for only 260RMB), and an all day trip to Guigang.

 

It's actually an hour an a half each way, but with not knowing which way to go (including missing the freeway entirely on the way back) it was four hours travel time. We had to wait until 4PM to get the results, so we had lunch and took a little trip to Nan Shan (South Mountain) - many cities around here have a mountain named after the direction they are from that city. I'll post some pictures from that, along with more from Detian and Pingxiang.

 

There were all of about four or five customers there (International Travel Medical Center), so it was pretty much in and out, except for having to wait for the results.

 

The medical exam consisted of a chest x-ray, some kind of seeing test (they show you colored dot images and ask what number you see in each one), an EKG, a heart ultra-sound, a blood pressure reading, urine analysis, and blood sample analysis. Not a bad deal for the 260RMB.

 

Just in time to beat the National Day holiday next week, after we take it to the PSB tomorrow (Friday). So I should be all fixed up with a visa (L visa) for another two years, which will carry me past my 5 year anniversary here, when I'm eligible to apply for a green card.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Read my thread on 'Hoops for visas for foreigners in China' to see what effects of the new regulations some other expats are seeing.

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/46090-hoops-for-visas-for-foreigners-in-china/

 

This IS a slight opening of new possibilities, but for most of us, it's simply a tightening of the requirements and consolidation of the existing policies - 'new' categories, for the most part, are simply spin-offs from the old.

[Randy W]

Okay the bill for the new visa (two year) came to 800RMB - 400 per year (down from ~950RMB for one year last time). She noticed that my passport expires in Feb., 2015, though, so the visa will only go to that date.

 

Slightly bad timing, since my five year anniversary here is Dec. 5, 2014. I can apply for the green card at that time, but will need a new visa if it doesn't come through by Feb. 5.