A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)

My new liaison gave me a form to be filled, stamped and signed by my previous FAO and I had it done yesterday. This form is required to get a new expert certificate. It takes 5 days to get an EC in Changsha as she says. The next step is to apply for residence permit extension. That's my primary fear having read Raoul's recent post.There are many factors involved behind my fear. I am not a native speaker of English. My country's reputation at international level is also doubtful and my passport expires in 7 month. The only positive factor is my personal self. I got over 4 year teaching experience in China with absolutely legitimate universities and I always have had expert certificate. I am 40 year which is okay age for teaching in China. I got three recommendation letters from three jobs which speak good about me. I have got a four year college degree in Education and English(Lit).My teaching career in China is clean and clear without any sort of troubles caused by me. Visa tightening situation is worrying me. That liason sounded a little confident yesterday of getting my visa. 10 days of high and low moods!

My new liaison gave me a form to be filled, stamped and signed by my previous FAO ... This form is required to get a new expert certificate.

I am getting exactly the same line, from a Fujian employer. First time that has happened in several years in China.

Another thing that is perhaps required , that my smart liaison does not know yet is the old contract book. I mean the document from the PSB. One of my mate has been asked to give it to his university for get visa and EC processed. I will call her tomorrow to confirm. As I had mentioned in my one of the previous post that she got this job using ' Guanxi' I am sure and she  has got no training how to handle such things. if she had given me a list of the documents required for visa, it would have made her job and my life comfortable to very extent. It;s her job to inform me what to do but it's vice versa in my case.

One of my friends owns an Italian restaurant here - spent a fortune on getting it up and going.  His visa expires Saturday and it isn't being renewed.  Not a happy chappy.

Another friend of a friend - married to a Chinese woman, and been living in Qingzhou for 15 years, has had his visa renewal application refused.

These are not good times.

LE, I am sorry to hear about your friends. It does seem like this curtailment of the rules affects more people than it should.

LE,
Where did they apply, in their China city?
Did they apply for a longer term visa, a 30 day extension or the now standard but possibly only available outside mainland China 90 day double 30 day entry visa?

I know a Brit that got the now standard 90 double 30 L,
And an American that actually got the now standard but an F ,
Both got theirs from agents in HK. `Both In July.

The American said it was $2100 HK & two day wait, but he got an F, sait it cost more than L but not how much. Not sure details for the English chap & his L.

Restaurant owner applied for a 12 month residency permit - ie an extension of what he already had for 4 years - in Xi'an.  The other guy applied for a 12 month residency permit in Beijing I think - again just an ordinary extension of his current status.

One of my friends owns an Italian restaurant here - spent a fortune on getting it up and going.  His visa expires Saturday and it isn't being renewed.  Not a happy chappy.

Another friend of a friend - married to a Chinese woman, and been living in Qingzhou for 15 years, has had his visa renewal application refused.

These are not good times.

The first story made me think of some people I know who have lived here forever. One American I know who has been here well over 15 years, and two other people who have been here since the 1990s. The man who has been here over 15 years runs a successful furniture, antique type business and is a millionaire who owns several nice properties.

There is another guy who owns a successful bar and magazine, works for himself, and as far as I know, does not have another "official" job. He seems to have invested a lot of money into these businesses.

The last guy is a bar manager. An employee of someone else. He's been here forever. How? Who knows.

There is a legendary story here, about this scary looking guy, who was from somewhere west of China (Russiastani) who seemed to have a lot of money and power here. He's a big, tall ugly Lurch-like motherfucker. Very intimidating. Now, foreigners did know him on a personal and business level. There are stories that he was a drug dealer (like ice type shit) and from the looks of the scary, sweaty people who hung around him was probably true. The antique guy knew him and called him "Rasputin". Scary guy used to hang out in the bar I used to drink in, went behind the bar liked he owned the place. He was like 'Hi kids, Satan is here.'

Anyhoo, there was another foreigner he was angry with. Why? Ive heard several accounts. Rasputin hires a Chinese to find this guy and hurt him. Chinese finds foreigner taking a pee in a urinal in a bathroom in a bar and STABS HIM IN THE BACK. Almost kills him.

Chinese guy gets caught, he rolls on Rasputin and Rasputin is supposedly gone (with a great celebration from us). Well, HE'S BACK. I have not seen him, but have an acquaintence and his daughter who knows him and they say he's back. He's still supposedly stinking rich, but I do not see him in the bars and he (thankfully) lays low, probably in part because the guy he conspired to hurt or kill is still here. If I ever see him, I'll run screaming like a scared school girl with piss on the floor.

Word of advice: Be careful who you hang out with here. When I was in Xinjiang, my friend told me an expat was killed in a town next to his. Could of been a random thing, more than likely though it isn't.

----------------------

The married guy concerns me because I am married to a Chinese woman and I always thought that was my "ace in the hole" that allowed me to stay here. If I ever get kicked out, I can't just grab the Chinese wife and move to America, because they wont let her in(to my extreme anger.) My wife is a businesswoman and a partner in a construction business and is doing very well. I want to stay here. At least I will until July 31, 09'.

Senor

Interesting story, but almost entirely . Please start a new thread for deviations...

I just got a email reply from the HK visa agent, she said "No problem" getting Another 90-2x30 day visa, F or L.
I'll be in their HK office tomorrow morning with only my passport & 1 photo before 9:30 & return to China on the 1:15pm ferry on Friday With a new visa.

I have heard of a couple few folks being turned down for longer term visas lately, or of people leaving cause they can't get a visa...
IMHO, they applied for the Wrong visa in the Wrong place, or they wanted an excuse to leave & using the visa situation for it.

folks, this is China, a place with many rules & no rules, nearly always there is a way to get things done if one pays attention & plays the China game as they lay it out for us...   

presently, as most who live here should know, `they Aren't giving long term visas...
so why apply for one? 

I gotta agree with Dan on this one. The only thing you can do at the moment is try to see out this situation with short term visas. I got one a couple of weeks ago, 90 day L for 1320rmb, including fake hotel and travel details. Although 90 days is a bit of a lie, as you only get 2 entries of 30 days each, but you use one when you come back into the country, so actually you only really get 60 days.

The agency are still insisting all will return to normal (whatever that is) on October 17th.

Oh i'd better add a quick edit to this. I obtain my visa this way because i don't work in China, just live here. If your a teacher or working in another capacity then you've gotta have a Z visa, this is more important now then ever before because the chances of your status being checked is much greater.

If you're already here, you ARE getting 90 days.
You get the visa with 2 entries and can stay for a month.
Then you rock over to HK for blueberry pancakes, use entry #1, and get a 2nd month.
A month later you go back out-and-in on entry #2, and get your 3rd month.

My liaison called me yesterday saying she could my visa renewed in 5 days. That's what I wanted to hear from her. My head of the FAO is getting my apartment equipped with all necessary electrical appliances, change water taps, replacing light bulbs with tube lights a squatter with the western style commode. There is one American teacher already working at that place. I wonder why the FAO does not know how to manage certain important things regarding paperwork to have the visa renewed, a presentable apartment. I have least expectations from them in future. I'll be glad if they don't mess with my salary and allowances.

I wonder why the FAO does not know how to manage certain important things regarding paperwork to have the visa renewed, a presentable apartment.

They do know how to do those things. However, all those things cost money. Money, Chinese managers would rather spend on a big black shiny car.

If you're already here, you ARE getting 90 days.

Your right, of course. But unfortunately i was unable to get the visa in Shenzhen, they made me go to HK to get it, hence only 60 days for me.