world expo 2010 and visa

[tortue]

Hi all,

I wonder if the experts among you have already heard anything if the visa regulations are expected to become more restrictive again like for olympics.

I know it is still half a year, but a second question would be given the fact that the expo starts on May 1st, when exactly would you expect the rules to change, based upon your experience with the olympics.

Thanks!

Chris

[muyongshi]

Kind of an old thread but as I am needing to renew my visa I am looking at different threads regarding this...

become more restrictive again like for olympics.

From what I am seeing/heard from others they never lightened up after the Olympics. I was hoping for 2010 they might back off a bit.

[anonymoose]

Since they want people to visit the Expo, I don't expect visa restrictions to be tightened. The Olympics are broadcast worldwide, and provided a showcase for the Chinese. They didn't want anything to spoil it, so were very careful about who could be around at the time. The Expo will not be covered in the same way. In fact, if previous expos are anything to go by, most of the world won't take much notice (even though it's being hyped as a major event in China). Whether the expo is successful or not will to a large extent be determined by how many people go there, so limiting people by tightening visa restrictions doesn't make much sense. Anyway, this is just my personal analysis, but living in Shanghai, I've not heard any signs of visa regulations changing.

[gato]

Thankfully, there is no Expo torch relay to stir things up.

[tortue]

Kind of an old thread

Yeah, but one of the few that become less outdated as time goes by

Since they want people to visit the Expo, I don't expect visa restrictions to be tightened. The Olympics are broadcast worldwide, and provided a showcase for the Chinese. They didn't want anything to spoil it, so were very careful about who could be around at the time. The Expo will not be covered in the same way.

I doubt this is the reasoning behind Visa regulations. Of course one of the major goals to have Olympics is also to attract as many visitors as possible. But these come, spend maybe some time at the games and to visit a couple of cities, spend a lot of money and after two weeks they are done. No need to continue to give out 3 month tourist visas for the backpacker traveler hanging out in china for three months, and this is still not enough because after that he wants to find a job as english teacher.

Or look at this year's 60 years anniversary. What should that have any logical impact on visa regulations? And still there were, in my opinion just another occasion to clean up the mess.

I have heard some rumors about F visa regulations to be tightened considerably next year. It is only rumors so I avoid to reproduce them, but I would not be surprised if they did so to restrict those visa for the purpose they are originally meant for.

I guess the point is that it has been relatively easy for foreigners as long as the country was at the beginning of it's development, but now they start to choose whom they want to play with.

Edited December 29, 2009 at 03:27 PM by tortue