Golden Eye was getting along better with other cats and decided to sieze control of the vet office.  I was hoping that in his new capacity as the office manager, he could get me some better discounts.  Then, someone showed up and adopted him.

I'm happy he has a new home, but am sad that I can't pet him while visiting the office with my other cats.

Got back last week.  20 days in the lovely town of Fenghuang.

Had a great opening night.  Some girl I didn't know approached me on the street.  She had a pic of me with one of my sponsored students in her phone.  It turns out that she's also sponsored and my student is one of her best friends.

Lots of fun (and food - Confucious Temple Snack Street was open for breakfast and dinner), but it was VERY hot.  Happily, there was a little noodle shop next to Phoenix Square that was open all day since snack street and a number of small food shops were closed at lunch due to the heat.

On a previous trip, I made friends with one of the Miao performers at the Phoenix Eye Maglev Station.  Annual passes for the maglev aren't available all the time, but he managed to arrange for me to be able to buy one.  Due to the heat, I spend some of my book writing and poetry composition time on the well-air conditioned maglev trains.  I also got some good stuff written on the main deck of the Phoenix Eye station.

I met a pack of Art Institute students who were sketching by the river.  I was going to add one or two of them to my WeChat, but one reached over and tapped the correct sequence on my tablet to show my personal QR code, so I got 14 of them.     I finally set them up as a group (in which 5 more were added) so I could answer a lot of questions once instead of 14 separate times.  They are great fun.  It's sort of like having my own fan club.

I look forward to going back in the fall when it's a bit cooler.

I hope they paid the proper amount of severance.  Check with Edgar at Law in a Minute if you aren't sure.

The good news for you is that GCs are becoming more common.  Don't listen to people who claim that you have to be a gold medal quality olympic athlete who owns an AI startup and has PhDs in both molecular genetics and aerospace engineering.  I lost count of the number of people who told me that getting a GC was either insanely difficult or impossible.  I ignored them, applied, and got mine.

The bad news is that you can't just "switch" to a greencard on short notice.  Even if you submit the application today, it can easily take 6 months (or more) to be approved.

The type of "humanitarian" visa I think you are speaking of is a Stay Visa.  These are short term and are designed to bridge from one job to the next.  The exact amount of time yours will be for would be up to the local Entry-Exit bureau.

A spousal or family reunion visa can usually be aquired quickly, but can cause issues with trying to work.  Some people have reported success in getting a work permit while on one, but others have reported the opposite.  If you get one, ask your local entry exit and labor bureau if you are allowed to get a work permit while on the spouse visa or not.

A tourist visa definitely prohibits work. but is easy to get.

The CORE requirements for a GC via marriage are:

1.  Married to your Chinese spouse for at least the previous 5 years. (I filed my application on my 5th wedding anniversary.)
2.  Have not been outside of China for more than 90 days in any of the previous 5 years.
3.  Clean criminal background check in China, your home country, and any other country you spent significant time in.
4.  Freeze some money in the bank for 6 months, maybe more.  Depends on local/provincial rules.

BUT, there are other local/provincial variants.  Note that the province and city you must apply in are based on your spouse's hukou, which may not be where you are living/working.

For example, some places require large or smaller amounts of cash to be frozen.  I've never heard of less than 6 months, but have a vague recollection of a longer one.  My personal recommendation is to do it as late in the application process as possible (if there is a delay getting it accepted locally, you may have to go to your bank to see about extending it).  I also suggest putting in 20-30% more than the minimal amount of money and freezing it for an extra 3-6 months.  This shows confidence.

Some places require home ownership.  In some of these, it's ok if the home is only in your spouce's name.  In others, your name needs to be on a deed.

A few places have been reported as requiring work and tax records.  For those on a spouse visa and not working, this can become a Catch 22 situation.

I would definitely suggest trying to get a new job started before submitting the application.  GC applications ask for a timeline of education and work, and want explanations for gaps.

There is no way to guess which localities have which extra rules.  The ONLY way to deal with this would be for you and/or your spouse to visit the Entry-Exit Bureau wherever her hukou is located and ask.

Hi Everyone,

Rather than vent about my own problems, which is definitely not my goal, I would like us to discuss what we can do, as expats, to enjoy some life when it feels our job/careers and life are being difficult or boring.

1. At the least, I could think of a day or weekend trip within our city is safe.

It requires few travel plans, can now be done since we can stay in all hotels without special visas, etc.

Any travel sites, etc.?

If I had to guess, it would be Lonely Planet. I cannot support them with data, I just love their guide books and coupons.

2. It is possible to even quit a job, or not make it through probation, and get on a spousal visa or humanitarian visa.

Then, travel around China?

 3. Any other things we have done to rest, relax, energize?

I think a lot of it is more of the same: go to new parks, fun parks, saunas. The idea of "DISCOVERY" seems a big thing that energizes most of us.

Before signing anything, you may want to have a quick consultation with Edgar from Law In A Minute to verify if this is or is not legal.  If it's legal, take the money and look elsewhere.  If it's illegal, let them know you know the law, intend to fight, and maybe they will make you a better offer.