Cheapest long-term visa

[chird]

I currently rent an apartment in Kunming. I'm on my second 12-month student visa with the local university, I basically have an arrangement with the University where I pay 6000元 a semester to study 1-2-1 with one of the teachers, but its become simply a reason to have a long-term visa, because due to various legitimate reasons I rarely take these classes, and I have no interest in a full-time teaching position.

Having a student visa is convenient, but I feel I'm paying 12000元 a year simply for a visa. I've looked into other options here on the site, for example making monthly/3-monthly trips to Hong Kong, but I doubt this is cheaper in the end unless one lives nearby, and certainly highly inconvenient.

Now, my friend studying in Beijing says he has a number of friends who have arranged 12-month unlimited stay visas for a few hundred dollars, using Beijing visa agents. "It's easy, everyone does it!" I hear. This seems to contradict much of the advice on this site, but sounds tempting. I'm not sure if these are business visas, or tourist visas. I have other friends who seem to have arranged long-term business visas from their home country.

I am pretty paranoid about staying within the law because I don't ever want to be told 'get out, don't come back', so if I have to, I'll stick with my student visa and suck up the 12000元/year. But I'd like to know if anyone else has experience of moving to one of the cheaper options, and whether it's totally dodgy and I should steer clear.

[liuzhou]

It would help if you gave some information about why you want to stay in China or what you want to be doing. You say you aren't interested in studying or teaching. Fair enough. But it's kind of difficult to answer negatives.

[yialanliu]

Due to what happened recently in Shanghai to a few of our Northeastern students, I don't recommend F visas anymore unless you are using it for it's legal and intended purpose and those 12 month visas are most likely F visas gotten without a legitimate sponsor.

For L visitor visas, you can get 6 month single entry or 3 month multiple for 1-2 years. Those are the longest Ls that I've gotten and have no requirements. .

[chird]

Understood. Regarding my plans I just like living in China and I have enough income from investments etc, that I don't need to work as a teacher, and I don't particularly like it. I'd consider it if it was very low hours a week, but jobs that supply visas tend to need many hours. I do study Chinese a lot, but it's virtually all self-study now.

[roddy]

I'd also be very dubious about the agency F visas now. You could ask companies in Beijing (Traders Link, cn-visa.com are two I know of) what current prices and visa lengths are. Shanghai and I assume Guangzhou / Shenzhen have similar companies. Man here got a six month visa in Hong Kong. Pays your money, takes your chances ;-)

[icebear]

For L visitor visas, you can get 6 month single entry or 3 month multiple for 1-2 years. Those are the longest Ls that I've gotten and have no requirements. .

Could you elaborate where/when you got a 6 month single entry L, and what passport? Been awhile since I heard of those, I didn't know L's were still issued with stays longer than 30-60 days.

[liuzhou]

I don't think they do a "hanging out in China for no particular reason" visa. (What prefix would that be?) Do any countries do?

[roddy]

That would be the H-visa, standing variously for 'hanging out' and ’混‘. You need to submit an emailed promise of a job from a private school in a third-tier city, proof of vague intentions of studying martial arts, and the QQ numbers of three Chinese friends who don't realize you actually intend to come and stay with them.

[yialanliu]

I get both 3m multiple 1 year, or 6 month single. I just request it and they give it. My American room mate at PKU got a 3m double 1 year after his F expired for his next trip back to China and his reason was tourism (I think that works for everyone and doesn't count as a true requirements hehe). The L is his second visa to China so I think it's pretty easy to get, my history is longer so not a good example.

We're both US passports.

[jirbau]

In my home country, I got a student X Visa (this is for students studying 6 months or longer). In my X Visa there are no specific duration of stay so I gathered that you can stay in China for a long time. Duration of stay on my visa is 000days which to me means I have unlimited stay in China. But the catch here is that you can't leave China or else the visa will be used up and you need to get another one.

[abcdefg]

Duration of stay on my visa is 000days which to me means I have unlimited stay in China.

I don't think that's correct. It means you need to convert your X visa to a Residence Permit. Your school can help with that.

[liuzhou]

Duration of stay on my visa is 000days which to me means I have unlimited stay in China.

abcdefg is correct. The duration of stay on your X-visa is not unlimited - quite the reverse. You have to change the X-visa to a residence permit within 30 days (with the school's help). Your permitted time in China will then be the duration of the residence permit, usually no more than a year (although it can be renewed if you're still studying).

[jirbau]

@abcdefg @liuzhou Really? Thanks for that info. Wouldn't want to be deported.

[stoney]

By the way jirbau, once you get that residence permit, you can come and go from China as many times as you want during the year.

[jirbau]

@stoney Really? Was telling the person at the Chinese Embassy that I wanted a student visa with multiple entries but she told me that student X visa is only for single entry. Then I asked her what if I wanted to go home during vacations? Should I get another visa again when I will be going back? And she said that yes I should get another visa.

[prateeksha]

It works like this - you get a visa which must be converted into a residence permit within 30 days of arriving in China. That residence permit allows you unlimited entries in and out of China.

[jirbau]

@prateeksha @stoney thanks for the info! that makes everything more convenient.

[roddy]

Chird, did you end up solving your visa conundrum?