New Visa and Residence Permit Regulations Take Effect This Week

Nimo Wanjau | Sep 2, 2013 1:15 pm | 2 comments | 4426 reads

The Chinese government has made additional amendments to its visa and residence permit regulations. The new regulations went into effect on September 1. The new Q and S visa categories, known as the “family reunion” visa, are meant to make things less complicated for Chinese and expat family members traveling to China. The new regulations also include biometric measures such as mandatory fingerprinting when applying for a residence permit. Here is a breakdown of the changes to regulations for visa and residence permits.

1. Changes to Visa Regulations

The “family reunion” or Q visa
Currently, foreigners with an L visa may visit China for tourism, family reunions, or personal affairs. The new regulations limit the L visa to tourism purposes only. At the same time, two “family reunion” visas will be introduced: the Q visa and the S visa.

The Q visa will be issued to overseas Chinese visiting relatives in the country. The Q visa is divided into Q1 and Q2. Q1 visas will be issued to the relatives of Chinese citizens applying to enter and reside in China for purposes of family reunion, the relatives of people who have qualified for permanent residence in China, and people applying to enter and reside in China for purposes such as adoption. Documents required includes an invitation letter from and proof of relationship to the party that resides in China.

Q2 visas will be issued to the relatives of Chinese citizens and people qualified for permanent residence in China who are applying to enter and stay for a short period just to visit.

The S visa will be issued to the relatives of foreign residents visiting China for a family reunion. There are two types: the S1 and S2 visas. The S1 visa applies to relatives who are paying long-term visits to foreigners residing in China for work, study, or other purposes. A relative is defined as a spouse, parent, child under age 18, parents-in-law, and others.

The S2 visa is for short-term visits by relatives. Documents required for the S1/S2 visas include an invitation letter and proof of relationship from the relative(s) residing in China.

Keep reading on beijing-kids.com.

Photo: KK on Flickr

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Submitted by Guest on Mon, 09/02/2013 - 15:07

More info about the new visa laws can be found in this China Economic Review article:

Under the new system, the number of ordinary visa classifications has expanded from  eight to 12  to allow for a more focused categorization of immigrants. Some are practical distinctions. For example, long-term and short-term stays will be recognized separately, as will foreigners engaging in commercial and non-commercial activities. 

However, the changes also stand to impact legitimate foreign employment in China, adding to the already difficult process that companies must go through to hire foreign workers. Processing times for permits have been protracted to 15 working days from five. 

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

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