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

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #120 on: June 03, 2008, 02:54:56 PM »
In Beijing they aren't issuing the student visas anymore. Apparently, even those students who have visas are asked to go home.

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Schnerby

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #121 on: June 03, 2008, 03:02:55 PM »
Chinese consulate in Melbourne is staffed with the most grumpy, unhelpful collection of rotting carcases I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  dddddddddd

Having said that they gave me the papers to lodge by mail.

Go figure  bibibibibi

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Escaped Lunatic

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #122 on: June 03, 2008, 04:09:06 PM »
And the Chinese Embassy in the US still lists 24 month, multiple entry F and L visas.   mmmmmmmmmm
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DaDan

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #123 on: June 04, 2008, 12:16:13 AM »
L visa May 2nd,  got the 90 day doubly 30 day entry L or tourist visa. $1600HK for U. S. passport

Just made a trip to Hong Kong, Kawloon, went & got new visa, talked with a gent with a British passport & he paid 1250 for the same visa.
There was a $100hk fee for dummy plane ticket & hotel reservations, included in the 1600, have heard some HK agents don’t charge the 100 extra.
My place says if in by 11am, can pick up next day 12:30 – 1:00 (I did). In before 3pm can get the next day tween 5 & 6.
I only gave my passport & one photo, they did the rest, dang near positive it’s a legit visa as I just passed through Luohu a few hours ago.

My heart sank when the currier handed the agent 5 or 6  passports saying  “one got declined”… not sure the story, I shoulda asked but was in a rush to get the 1:15 ferry back to Shekou,  which I missed.

I’ve heard first hand of 3 different agents getting the 90 day tourist visa good for 2-30 day entries for U.S. & British, looks like many of the usual travel / visa agents Can get for the top 7 or 8 countries.

In the travel office was a sign listing countries they Can’t get the visa for, long list that excluded any of the top countries, too many for me to remember.  I have a couple HK agent numbers if someone needs, PM me.

Departing in Shekou yesterday, at the ferry port, they scanned my lightly packed bag, along with Everything people were carrying. I had a bundle of pink notes in mine, they pulled me out of line, looked in my bag & asked `how much? Then they said Only 20,000 RMB was allowed each time out leaving China, but, they’ll let me through with my 30k, but next time I need to be careful to pay attention & let they me through.
A Normal uneventful entry back through Luohu at 2pm today, seemed quiet though.

Heard rumor U.S. passports being declined the one year multy visa, In the states as of 8 days ago, `hope not.
I’m good till August with this one, gonna wait till then to know what / how my next visa will be.


Quote
In Beijing they aren't issuing the student visas anymore. Apparently, even those students who have visas are asked to go home.

Cheeky,
the students are being "asked" to go...
is that only for the summer holiday, game time?
me pappy sayd... 
Once ya get past the smell... ...:P ... `You got it licked...

Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #124 on: June 04, 2008, 01:59:48 AM »
Just this year, for game time. My friends tried to get a visa done for their son whom they wanted to put through a summer course followed by regular classes from September. They phoned 6 or 7 biggest unis and all of the refused to process visas here (which was possible before) and only couple of them offered to give an invitation letter for the upcoming academic year.

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #125 on: June 04, 2008, 02:34:52 AM »
Chinese consulate in Melbourne is staffed with the most grumpy, unhelpful collection of rotting carcases I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Ah. Excellent. Good to see that Chinese bureaucracy culture is being exported unaltered and intact. A great warmup for coming here to live. You should see the ones that DIDN'T get selscted to go to a nice Western country... aoaoaoaoao
This really kinda depends, in reality. The fine folks at the Exit/Entry Bureau in Suzhou's SIP are the biggest load of hostile, chip-shouldered, xenophobic, inert, bloody-minded goons you'd ever care to not meet. Their counterparts in the small Zhejiang city from whence my Spoose visa came were friendly, helpful, and open-minded. Another "go figure"...

The follow-up posts seem to reinforce how dodgy and unreliable the info even on the Consulates' own sites have become. It's descended into madness.
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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George

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #126 on: June 04, 2008, 04:17:09 AM »
Quote
Chinese consulate in Melbourne is staffed with the most grumpy, unhelpful collection of rotting carcases I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Funny! When I went there in 2002, they were very nice and helpful. Visa back the same afternoon.
The higher they fly, the fewer!    http://neilson.aminus3.com/

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #127 on: June 04, 2008, 04:25:20 AM »
Funny! When I went there in 2002, they were very nice and helpful. Visa back the same afternoon.

Maybe that group is about to get rotated back home now. uuuuuuuuuu
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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Lotus Eater

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #128 on: June 04, 2008, 04:47:20 AM »
Darling daughter left her visa application too late at Christmas time, and they did it for her the day before she left - 3 hour turn-around, in Brisbane.

Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #129 on: June 04, 2008, 02:30:12 PM »
On a sightly different tack - and perhaps only of interest to the Aussies in the south - I had reason to go to the Australian consulate in Guangzhou to get some documents witnessed for my wedding. Only got the documents the day before we were leaving to fly to Harbin and struck traffic problems on the way from Dongguan to Guangzhou. They only witness documents for a few hours each afternoon, closing at 4pm. We got there at 5.30pm.

Now, being somewhat experienced with government bureaucracies, I had extremely low expectations of getting what I needed. I did call them before closing time and they said to keep coming, they'd see what they could do, but the Consul (who does the witnessing) was leaving early that day. 

When we finally arrived - an hour and a half after the office closed - they were waiting and the two Chinese staffers were incredibly helpful. They had told the Consul my problem and he had cut short an official engagement to return and sign the papers for me.

That kind of service wasn't expected but it was appreciated. Not all consulates are filled with sullen, oxygen-thieving food tubes. The Aussie consulate in Guangzhou is a good one!
You have to care for it to matter.
http://www.haerbinger.com - All About Harbin

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Schnerby

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #130 on: June 04, 2008, 02:40:53 PM »
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Chinese consulate in Melbourne is staffed with the most grumpy, unhelpful collection of rotting carcases I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Funny! When I went there in 2002, they were very nice and helpful. Visa back the same afternoon.

Do you really have to tease me like that?  llllllllll

It may have something to do with the recent protesters about that certain mountain region though. But they cleared off weeks ago so as not to inconvenience the affluent (effluent) neighbours any further.

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Lotus Eater

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #131 on: June 06, 2008, 06:50:14 PM »
So does this mean that those people now here on spouse visas won't be able to get divorced? RD and his typhoon are forever wed?

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #132 on: June 06, 2008, 09:24:11 PM »
Uh...if you don't have a visa that lets you enter China, how would you ever get to a PSB office here in the first place? mmmmmmmmmm  Stamping them suckers as you enter is the normal routine; as we all know, nothing in China is worth a tinker's dam until it has a red stamp or two on it. bjbjbjbjbj

But it is important to clearly remember the exact date you first entered China...if it's not stamped on the visa in your passport, as Missi sagely indicates, then you will be asked this every time you seek new documents. In my case, my original passport was stolen several years ago, so I've always had to provide it.
Those already here know all too well: Just because every bureau office in China has computers and internet connections, doesn't mean they actually are able to talk to each other or share information. It's apparently impossible to look up any record here...

If you have a Spoose visa, and get divorced, the visa should be good until it expires...but of course you won't be able to get a renewal if you're not still legally married.
Which is why I'm already making arrangements for a regular Work/Residence Permit. uuuuuuuuuu
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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Ruth

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #133 on: June 07, 2008, 12:53:08 PM »
Uh...if you don't have a visa that lets you enter China, how would you ever get to a PSB office here in the first place? mmmmmmmmmm  Stamping them suckers as you enter is the normal routine;

I'm going to be in that situation as soon as I get my shiny new visa.  Missi's warning was well heeded and I could see myself stuck without that proof had she not shared that tidbit of wisdom.  I just got my new passport and it's currently devoid of any visa.  Soon (she types with hope in her fingers) it will have a new Z visa.  THAT visa will NOT have an entry stamp in it.  If I traveled with only my new passport, I could be stuck at a hotel registration desk or PSB office trying to explain how and when I entered China.  So, for now, I guess I travel with my cancelled passport as well, which DOES have an entry stamp.

Commercial break:  blblblblbl  Gotta praise the fine folks at the Guangzhou US consulate.  They responded immediately to questions asked by email.  We arrived with photos and completed forms (downloaded) and a handful of money.  A half hour, in and out, to submit the forms, swear all info was correct, and part with money.  Ten working days later, as promised, another in and out (15 minutes this time) to pick up new passports.  They punched holes in all but the page with my current visa and returned that now-cancelled passport to me along with my shiny new one.  Polite, efficient.  Wonderful to witness and be served by.  And they speak a language I understand!

Now back to our regularly scheduled topic...
If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.

Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #134 on: June 07, 2008, 11:08:51 PM »
I dont know how the US Embassy works in that regard, but Russian Embassy does what they call passport legalization (they write something in your passport) and once you go back to your country you must have another legalization of your passport. Basically for now you always have to carry two passports around with you - the old one for the stamp and the new one with the new visa. The problem with new passports isnt a new one - it's always been like that. But I believe they will be checking it more strictly.