Raoul's China Saloon (V5.0) Beta

The Bar Room => The Legalities Board: Visas, Permits, Taxes, and More! (ON-TOPIC) => Topic started by: Escaped Lunatic on June 01, 2018, 02:13:53 AM

Title: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on June 01, 2018, 02:13:53 AM
It's not easy being green.  Some even say it's impossible, but . . .

I DID IT!

The call came today.  I am now a

PERMANENT RESIDENT of the PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

and I have a card to prove it!

btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt btbtbtbtbt


Lots more details to follow, along with some pics.
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Calach Pfeffer on June 01, 2018, 05:27:40 AM
I am alarmed and impressed, laobaixing.

Congratulations on getting what you wanted. I've been following along the story and had no idea it could really come true.  agagagagag


Are you still American?
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Granny Mae on June 01, 2018, 11:37:56 AM
Good one EL! agagagagag Glad things worked out for you. bfbfbfbfbf
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Tree on June 01, 2018, 04:11:52 PM
Grats man!
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on June 01, 2018, 04:24:56 PM
After waiting 790 days, it still feels like a dream.

Yes, I'm still American, but I have been told that having a greencard for 1 year is the proof needed that I've indeed "settled down" in China.  At that point, I'm supposed to be eligible to apply for citizenship.


The call came in at about 4:20 on Thursday afternoon.  My wife told them we would pick it up tomorrow.  As soon as she told me what the call was, I said "Let's go!", since the Bureau of Naughty Foreigner Control is open until 5:30.

Pickup was from the same desk where I applied for it (same place as where I've been applying for annual res permit renewals).  There was one minor problem.  They didn't have the card.  After some discussion and a couple of phone calls, the guy who took my application on April 1, 2016 emerged with an envelope.

I'm sad to report that it's not actually green.  The newest ones have the same color scheme as the current Chinese national ID cards.  One side does have a greenish tinge to it if you hold the card at the correct angle, but my wife's ID card does the same thing.  Think I'll find a green tinted slip cover to put it into. ahahahahah

Then came paying the final fee.  It was 300 RMB.  For res permits there's a bar code and you pay downstairs with a bank card.  This puts the payment into the computer system.  For some reason, the payment took a QR code for online payments via smartphone.  Since my phone is so dumb it qualifies as mentally disabled, my wife paid.  Just to make it more complicated, there was some sort of registration needed on her phone so she could display the receipt.  This allowed for them to use a phone to take a photo of the receipt on her phone.  I thinks the upgraded payment system still needs a little work. ahahahahah

So, here I am getting my green card from the same officer who took my application. agagagagag

Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Granny Mae on June 02, 2018, 11:33:59 AM
Nice photo EL! bfbfbfbfbf
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Nolefan on June 03, 2018, 11:01:58 PM
congrats... long time coming..

this round of baijiu is on you
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: AMonk on June 04, 2018, 02:44:14 PM
Congratulations!!!!! Couldn't happen to a nicer person.
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on June 04, 2018, 07:21:21 PM
I didn't get an instruction guide with it, so no details of my new superpowers.  Guess I should go to a bamboo forest with my card and see if the gravity seems reduced. ahahahahah

I'm hoping to schedule a trip to the provincial Bureau of Naughty Foreigner Control in GZ in a few months.  I've got about a million questions and would also love to get some more statistics on how many people apply and how many get accepted.  What I see in online articles on the subject is wildly contradictory.  The writers also frequently don't seem to get the differences between green card, honorary citizenship, and actual citizenship, which makes them even more confusing.

Two days ago, I was PMing one of my foreign acquaintances here.  Someone told him he'd have to work for the government to get a green card.  The amount of misinformation out there is astonishing.
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Calach Pfeffer on June 04, 2018, 07:38:00 PM
What did help? Being married, owning property, not being a teacher?

Asking for a friend
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on June 05, 2018, 08:03:03 PM
To the best of my knowledge, there are 3 ways to qualify.

1.  Invest lots of money.  That's out of my price range.

2.  Contribute to Chinese society.  This works for some scientists, celebrities, artists, and athletes.  I don't think my charity work or my utterly amazing skill at not crashing dragon boats too badly (7 years with no deaths yet!) quite qualifies me in this category.  Maybe getting a Snoopy "Joe Cool" t-shirt would help. ababababab

3.  Survive 5 years of marriage to a Chinese person.  This is the route I took.

I had to keep my time outside of China each year to less than 90 days.  I think the most I've been out in any one year since moving here was a bit less than 60 days.  They looked at every stamp in my passport, asked if being born to American parents in Germany meant I was also German (I checked the German citizenship regulations - I'm not) and even asked me about my Indian tourist visa.

Other requirements depend on the city you're in.  I had to have a bank account with a minimum amount of funds in it frozen for 6 months.  I think they did ask if I owned a place.  My wife and I do have an apartment which is in both of our names.  Having a job was also asked about.  I guess "house spouses" don't have a high acceptance rate compared to employed people.  I think all of this comes down to "is it worth keeping this person around or are we adding a potential burden to Chinese society?"

Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: BrandeX on June 05, 2018, 08:38:55 PM
Were you on a work permit at the time for proof of employment?
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on June 06, 2018, 02:03:50 PM
I was on an "Alien Employment Permit xxxxxxxxxx" at the time of application.  I'm pretty sure a copy of that was thrown in with everything else.  I just changed over to the new work permit card system a few months ago.
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on June 13, 2018, 02:31:51 PM
Oh wow.  That interview went well.

http://m.mp.oeeee.com/a/BAAFRD00002018061184673.html

Translation software does bad things to it, but the pics are nice. agagagagag
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: El Macho on July 14, 2018, 05:52:08 PM
Congratulations!

I’m really happy for you! I know how long you’ve wanted and waited for this. Looking forward to hearing how your first border entry goes with your new green card! agagagagag agagagagag
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on July 24, 2018, 05:35:45 PM
Tested it out for the first time on Sunday.  The immigration officer seemed a little surprised, but she appeared to have been trained to deal with greencards.
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Nolefan on July 26, 2018, 10:22:18 PM
nice.. in Beijing, I know a few folks who have gone green and they're still having issues using it for daily stuff as most gov't employees have had monkey training.
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on September 03, 2018, 04:44:42 PM
Had to do a run to HK on Friday.  Needed to get downtown to sign some papers, so didn't take the usual airport shuttle.

DG bus station ticket window girl took the green card without blinking.  Security for bus waiting area swiped it on something and got the correct tone of "Beep" to pass me through.

At the Chinese exit point, the immigration girl said something to my wife about green cards.  It turns out that these can be used as part of an ePass application.  Happily, the HK ePass I got for flying in and out a lot worked on the HK side.

On the way back in, the immigration clerk didn't even blink when I gave her the green card.  We asked where to apply for the ePass.  We weren't sure if this was done at the border or back at the DG Naughty Foreigner Containment office.  Turns out it was at the border.

The clerk asked if I want use my existing Res permit (expires in March 2019) or the green card.  The green card was the logical choice and turned out to be a very wise move.  My passport is less than 6 months old and its expiration date was used since it was earlier than the green card.  If I had chosen the res permit, the ePass would have expired in March 2019.

So, unless you've got a very long term res permit or visa that qualifies (I have no idea if tourist visas can qualify for Chinese ePasses or not), a green card can get you an ePass that runs until either the card or the passport expires, whichever comes first.

I also was not sure if this was for HK crossings only, so asked.  I was told it's for all entry/exit points.

At the Lowu/Lohu bus station, they sell tickets alongside the bus itself with a portable ID reader.  The ticket girl couldn't figure out how to enter a green card, so my wife had to help her find the correct category.

Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: El Macho on January 14, 2019, 09:01:49 AM
EL, soon it'll be you and…Elon Musk (https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/10/elon-musk-china-green-card-1074123)?
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on January 17, 2019, 11:52:59 AM
I hope he gets to wait as long as I did.  ahahahahah
Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on January 07, 2020, 03:45:14 PM
I took some time off over the holidays to complete something I should have written just after getting my green card.  Here it is, the FULL story of all the ways to qualify and all the entertainment involved in getting mine.  Pics of me with green hair are at the end of the article.

Thing Getting a Chinese Green Card is Impossible?

Think Again.

The Lunatic's Guide to Getting a Chinese Green Card. (http://escapedlunatic.com/think-getting-a-chinese-green-card-is-impossible-think-again/)


Title: Re: It's not easy being green. Some even say it's impossible, but . . .
Post by: AMonk on January 07, 2020, 11:30:33 PM
 agagagagag