Two Year Residence Permits For Spouses?

[roddy]

While keeping up to date with world affairs, I came across this on the China Daily site. It makes it sound as if, in Beijing at least, spouses of Chinese citizens are eligible for a two year residence permit, as a replacement / alternative for the current practice of handing out lengthy tourist visas.

Has anyone actually come across this in the wild (sounds very recent, so probably not)? And any thoughts on how this would affect right to work? If you have a residence permit (with what exactly as purpose of stay? Conjugal bliss?) does that make it easier to work legally? Or do you still need to go back to a work visa and go through that whole rigmarole?

I went looking for a Chinese article to see if there was any more info, but with no joy.

[carlo]

Here's the original article:Link

Work with a residence permit? No idea. My current residence permit has 就业 written on it (居留事由). I got a Z-visa for many years, then one day I got a "residence permit" for "workers". Not much of a change. What do foreign students get these days? If they get residence permits for 留学, and can legally work, my guess is that the same will be true for spouses as well. If they can't, well, then you have to apply for a different residence permit. I suspect this second scenario is more likely, but am not sure.

[gerri]

http://www.mps.gov.cn/n16/n84147/n84196/2418747.html

[fanglu]

So people who 'need' to stay in China for a long period can be issued a 'visiting relatives' residence permit. Given that a 'visiting relatives' visa is an L visa, which doesn't give you the right to work, I assume this 'visiting relatives' residence permit wouldn't either.

I love it how there are detailed instructions on the types of documents needed to prove the details of the person you are visiting, but nothing whatsoever about how to prove you 'need' to stay for more than six months.

[fanglu]

The other interesting thing is this is a 公安部 decision, so it will be interesting to see if the 外交部 follows suit and issues these (well, something analogous to an F or X visa, with 0 days stay that has to be converted into a residence permit within 30 days of arrival) overseas, or if you'll first have to get a normal tourist visa, enter China and then get the residence permit.

[tooironic]

I'm assuming this only applies to heterosexual spouses?

[lordnikon]

There was a report about this the other day on cctv news, it seems this is really aimed at chinese who want to come back to be with their family but laowai who are married to chinese citizens do qualify but this permit does not give you the right to work only the right to reside in china for 2 years you must apply for a z visa like always if you want to work it changes nothing regarding working visas