Can someone please help?

[dlsmith65]

My mother has been living in Kaili ( Guizhou Province ) for 7 years. She started as a missionary and teacher but hated the strictness and quit. She bought a building and started a restaurant that wasn't doing well for the location. She traded for another building to restart. She recently emailed me that the gov there says she needs $200,000 US dollars in her account over there to continue living in China. She hasn't that much as she spent close to $300,000 on the building, renovations, etc etc. She has roughly $50,000 left here plus she gets social security. She is scared that they are going to force her to leave. She wants to live out the rest of her life there. What can she do ??? Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.

[adrianlondon]

Wire $150,000 dollars to her account.

[flameproof]

Wire $150,000 dollars to her account.

I like simple and straight answers.

[imron]

Actually, I just received an email from a Prince Aba Abadi from Nigeria looking for someone to help him transfer US$20,000,000 from a secret bank account. He says he will give the person who helps him 10%. If you like, I can send you his contact details, and your mother can get in touch with him.

[dlsmith65]

adrianlondon...if I had $150k I wouldn't be inquiring for advice.

flameproof...Me too even if the answer isn't feasible

imron...Your Prince is a pauper. The email I got was for $50 million

Seriously guys, I was hoping someone who owns a business in China could fill me in on what her course of action could be. I have tried researching and keep getting dead ends. The Embassy in DC is not accepting emails and trying to call is next to impossible. Accents are hard to understand over the phone and my knowledge of the Chinese language is limited to simple greetings and polite questions. I only spent 3 weeks there. Maybe someone could point me in the right direction of where to get info.

[lilongyue]

She started as a missionary . . .

Tut-tut, missionary work is illegal in China.

[flameproof]

missionary work is illegal in China.

But there are many people in missionary positions, right?

To me it sounds like a rip off, a scam. Officials in China are corrupt. She is a nobody. She's easy to be cheated out of her money. If you put more in it will be gone too in no time. I suggest to cut the losses and leave.

[monto]

missionary work

Is it 传销 or 传教？Whichever it may mean, I feel badly to see it was related to the word "teacher" by somebody.

[mr.stinky]

she spent $300k on building and renovations? in wee little kaili? i'm guessing at the time

that was around 3 million rmb, give or take a couple hundred thousand? i'm also guessing

for that amount she must have bought half the town. exactly what kind of restaurant is

this that requires $300k startup? even a yummy KFC will only cost about a million rmb.

[adrianlondon]

But there are many people in missionary positions, right?

According to the Karma Sutra, it's very common.

[Eric Z.]

But there are many people in missionary positions, right?

Haha Adrianlondon beat me to the witty comment.

I would suggest trying to register all of her assets (property) as investments in country. Find a friendly face in the local bureaus. I've never been to Guizhou...

Here's a risky idea:

Find someone you trust implicitly. "Sell" them the building, put the money in your bank account, pass the BS 300K inspection, then buy back the building and give them the money back.

Eric

[lilongyue]

Although it may just be corruption, perhaps they are on to the fact that she's actually out to do missionary work, and is trying to set up a church and not a restaurant.

[dlsmith65]

Let me clarify one thing. She WAS a missionary. She quit years ago. She just so loves the culture and the people that she wants to stay. She knew that the only way was to start her own business. It is a legit restaurant. I just don't want to see her lose her life's savings by being forced to leave the country. She knows many people in the local gov. so perhaps she can get help there. One local even wanted to become a partner at the beginning so he may be the answer. Thank you Eric for the advice. That may be the ticket to her staying.

[mr.stinky]

so how does a missionary earn $300k in china?

[Lu]

Perhaps she can take a mortgage on the restaurant?

[LaoLiang]

Assuming her business is legit and she has all the documents, she should seek legal consulting - plenty of expat companies that can assist her with a solution. As it might save her 200K USD it's a worthy investment.

Other than that, no foreigner in China should assume they'd be allowed to remain in the long term. This includes people who are currently legit and registered a company here or students who studied full time for 4 years - there's no guarantee that one day you wont be asked to leave and wont be allowed back.

[simonlaing]

She started as a missionary and teacher but hated the strictness and quit.

If she is native speaker with an undergrad degree she can get a job teaching english at any University or Highschool. Uni classes are 12-16 hours a week. Some time but not much that she can't do other things.

Tell her get an English teaching job, they will give her a Z visa and she won't have any problems.

The underhanded way is to get a Chinese company with the authority to hire westerners to sponsor her visa. there may be a kick back involved and might not last a long time.(Also a poor province like guizhou may not have many of these authorized companies.)

English teaching is the legal easiest adn most recommended way to go.

Tell her to keep her mouth shut about religion in class, and they will love her.

[muyongshi]

Okay, Can we get off the missionary thing?? It really has no relevance to the current fact that she is trying to do a business and is completely irrelevant to the topic. The OP probably didn't need to mention it and now it would have been better if OP just flat out never did mention it.