16/07/2013
As of 1st July 2013, new visa regulations enforced by Chinese immigration law have been put in place for foreigners living in or visiting China.
Most notably are the changes to the F visa class, which was originally used for business purposes has now been changed to non-commercial visits which include scientific, cultural, athletic and educational activities.
Foreigners traveling to the Mainland should also take note of the amendments with regards to extensions; both the L visa (tourist class) and F visa (non-commercial class) can be extended only once now for a maximum of 30 days. The application process for extending the L and F visa classes has been increased to 7 working days. If the visas were obtained outside of China then they are eligible for extension, however if the visas were obtained within China then an extension no longer possible.
For anyone who wants to stay in China for more than 180 days, they are required to obtain a residence permit which now takes 15 working days to process; increased from the initial 5 day processing time. There are also a number of new visa categories that have been introduced:
New Visa Classes
F - Non-commercial visit
G - Transit
L - Tourism
M - Commercial or trade activity
Q1 - Family reunion
Q2 - Short visit
R1 - Highly skilled specialists (long term residence for up to 5 years)
R2 - Highly skilled specialists (less than 180 days)
X1 - Long term study
X2 - Short term study
Z1 - Work (more than 90 days)
Z2 - Work (less than 90 days)
It is also worth noting that the standard “work visa” or “Z visa” have been divided into 2 separate categories; Z1 visas are now for applicants who are staying in China for more than 90 days and Z2 visas are for applicants staying in China for less than 90 days.
