Visa expiring, not sure what to do

[889]

If you really want to head back to the U.S. -- and it seems you really don't -- then those roughly US$280 one-way fares from CTU to LAX are on United and can be booked, at least at this moment, on Expedia. Airfares are always changing, so I stress "at this moment."

[ZhuoMing]

10 hours ago, 889 said:

If you really want to head back to the U.S. -- and it seems you really don't -- then those roughly US$280 one-way fares from CTU to LAX are on United and can be booked, at least at this moment, on Expedia.

That's right, I'd like to stay in china if there is any way possible.  Now that I think about it however, if the extension I get is for 30 days then I'll need to leave the country around mid June. I'd much rather do a HK run, but I'm thinking it's very unlikely that China starts letting foreigners in by then, and HK (or some other country) eases quarantine requirements for arrivals by mid June. The June tickets are indeed very cheap now but I think I'll hold off until it's a bit closer, since I don't want to go back home unless I absolutely have to. It seems international flights out of China are expanding a lot in the near future, which hopefully means they'll be letting more flights and people into the country as well. 

[abcdefg]

Reminder -- It's a good idea not book air travel through an OTA, especially now. Deal directly with the airline. More flexibility; better chance of being able to make changes. 

 

(OTA = Online Travel Agent) 

[889]

Question is, can you get those cheap fares booking directly with the airline?

 

For whatever reasons, some airlines don't offer their lowest fares directly: you have to use an agent if you want to save money, and the difference can be hundreds of US dollars.

 

There's nothing new about this: for decades there were "special  fares" airlines didn't sell directly but offered only through bucket-shop travel agencies, sometimes more politely called consolidators. Now the OTAs have replaced the bucket shops.

 

As for what mid-June will bring, there is a reasonable possibility that Hong Kong will eliminate the quarantine on Mainland arrivals when the extension of the quarantine rules expires June 7. There will be a lot of public hostility to this move in Hong Kong, but it will be a political decision made elsewhere. Of course that still leaves open the issue of your re-entry to the Mainland, unless there's a special rule for foreigners who've spent sufficient time in Hong Kong,

 

And as to other elsewheres, it's not out of the question that Thailand or Vietnam might open to travelers from the Mainland in June, but whether this would cover other foreign nationals who knows. Neither provides the generous 90-day stay of Hong Kong, though.

[abcdefg]

13 hours ago, 889 said:

Question is, can you get those cheap fares booking directly with the airline?

 

Yes. The same cheap fares are available directly from the airline. It is admittedly more cumbersome to use this method when the carrier is a China-based aviation company. Some have decent websites, others do not. 

[ZhuoMing]

How likely do you think Taiwan will start allowing foreigner arrivals from mainland China by mid-June?  I ask because it's about the only place I'd be willing to go and stay for a longer period of time while I wait for China to open back up (since I can keep practicing Chinese there?). 

[889]

Like Hong Kong, Taiwan would let you stay for 90 days, so that's a good.

 

My own suspicion is that Taiwan will first re-open to travel from Hong Kong, where the virus has practically been eliminated. I'd expect travel from the Mainland to re-open later: there's still a lot of doubt about the statistics coming out of the Mainland. So don't be too optimistic.

[Flickserve]

There may be some reciprocal recognition of quarantine periods between Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3082565/hong-kong-talks-mainland-china-and-macau-mutually?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3082565

 

 

 

HK will be bringing back residents from Pakistan and India. There will be an increase in imported cases and hopefully these will be controlled so as not to have community spread.

[StChris]

I'm in an even more precarious position. My passport expired last month and the UK embassy aren't currently able to issue new ones. Even the office in the UK doesn't seem to have resumed work yet. Luckily, the local immigration police have been understanding and said that my visa would still be extended for 2 months along with everyone else. That extension will expire next month. I hope I can get a new passport by then. If not, I guess my school will have to beg the PSB again on my behalf.

[abcdefg]

11 hours ago, StChris said:

That extension will expire next month. I hope I can get a new passport by then. If not, I guess my school will have to beg the PSB again on my behalf.

 

I think it helps a lot to have a school or employer present your case to the authorities. Seems to carry more weight than an individual foreign tourist just showing up to ask for favors. That being said, I've always enjoyed good relations with the staff at my small neighborhood 派出所 paichusuo/police station. That counts for something, but it might no longer be enough if they have received new mandates from their superiors. 

[aroberts42]

We are in a similar boat. Our visas expire June 2, after the 60 day extra extension. We can't afford to go back to the US and don't really want to. We live here, we have a dog, school here is finally restarting for my daughter, and the US is quite dangerous, truth be told. Our parents are all vulnerable, so we wouldn't have anywhere to stay for two weeks after traveling back, even if we could get a flight. So anyone in this situation please update your experiences in the thread. We will go to the Guilin Entry/Exit bureau on May 22. Hopefully an additional 30 days will be the last few days of time we need before a border somewhere (anywhere!) opens up. 

[vellocet]

Yeah, foreigners abusing tourist visas by living full time and working illegally are sweating it all over China.  They can't do the visa shuffle and restart their 60 days since China has closed entry to all foreigners.  They got the automatic 60 day extension and breathed easy...but now that's coming to an end.  What to do now? ?

 

But China is nothing if not understanding, and have come up with a plan to help these troubled foreigners in these trying times.  But it comes at a wee cost! My friend who is on one of these dodgy visas forwarded this to the group and says that she thinks it applies everywhere:

 

Quote

 

If you need to extend your visa at the  Entry/Exit Bureau in your city. You will need these vital items. (This applies for all visa’s except Work Visas. )

1. Visa Application Form 
2. Police Resident Registration form
3. 2 photos
4. A letter giving the Entry/Bureau the right to cancel your current visa. 

In return you will receive a 60 day Humanitarian Visa. Your current visa will be cancelled. 

Your letter must say:

 

I give the authority the right to cancel my current visa. Due to the current Covid 19 Pandemic, I cannot find a flight ticket back home and during these 60 days, I will behave myself under Chinese Law, and I will apply for another Visa or leave the country before my 60 days has expired.

 

 

So they're saved!  Another 60 days.  But - that 10 year L tourist visa gets cancelled.  And it can only be gotten again outside China. if I am not mistaken this can only be done in the foreigner's home country.  I don't know if after having lived in China for years on one tourist visa, if another will be granted.  Certainly they have records of everyone's comings and goings in their computer and can tell you exactly how many days a year all of us spend in China.

[889]

“And it can only be gotten again outside China. if I am not mistaken this can only be done in the foreigner's home country.”

 

You are mistaken. The Visa Office in Hong Kong has long given the ten-year visa to Americans not resident in Hong Kong. I believe this is part of the reciprocal agreement between China and the U.S, and may or may not apply to non-Americans eligible for ten-year visas.

 

As to cancellation of the existing visa when an extension is given, this has also long (if not universally) been the practice: essentially you get a new visa which replaces the old one. Ergo, the holder of a multi-year multiple-entry tourist visa has always had to be very cautious about applying for an extension, lest the original visa be cancelled. See my April 29 post above.

 

The last paragraph, frankly, seems just a bit of scare-mongering.

[889]

It looks like Thailand will be opening up to arrivals from China at some point, perhaps later this month. This may provide a quarantine-free alternative to Hong Kong for those who need to leave the Mainland.

 

China, South Korea to be removed from Thai list of Covid hotspots

[aroberts42]

On 5/7/2020 at 8:27 PM, vellocet said:

Yeah, foreigners abusing tourist visas by living full time and working illegally are sweating it all over China. 

Plenty of people live in China on tourist/business visas without working illegally, so mind what you say. 

[abcdefg]

Don't mind him, Amanda. He is the forum's resident sniper. Lays in wait, day after day, just hoping to get a clean shot at some unwary poster. 

[aroberts42]

10 hours ago, abcdefg said:

Don't mind him, Amanda. He is the forum's resident sniper. Lays in wait, day after day, just hoping to get a clean shot at some unwary poster. 

???

[ZhuoMing]

A few days ago I went to the entry/exit office and they gave me a 30 day extension, expiring on June 17. As for after this runs out, the man said he can give me a "stay permit" which can add an additional 30 days but I need to forfeit my visa. If I only get another 30 days and need to lose my visa I don't think it's worth.  

 

I have seen some Chinese articles saying on June 7th, unrestricted travel will open between Hong Kong and mainland.  Can anyone confirm this is true? The article I read seemed to only have information about entering Hong Kong, but I couldn't find much information about returning to mainland. Will a typical Hong Kong run be possible? 

 

I have also heard a rumor from a foreigner here saying that after the 30 day extension runs out I can go back and get another 60 days. No idea what this is about or if it is true, has anyone heard anything about this? 

[889]

As mentioned above, at the moment you can enter Hong Kong overland from Shenzhen even though you're not a Hong Kong resident since you've spent more than 14 days in the Mainland, but you'll be subject to a 14-day "home" quarantine.

 

The order imposing the quarantine on overland arrivals from the Mainland is indeed set to expire June 7. Unless it is extended, you would then be free to enter Hong Kong without quarantine, though quarantine would be imposed when you return to Shenzhen.

 

Nonetheless, I'd be surprised if Hong Kong doesn't extend the quarantine order in some fashion after June 7.  It may be relaxed for more categories of travelers, but the Government has indicated that a full re-opening of the border is a ways off. Nonetheless, who knows for certain what will happen, so follow the news closely as June 7 approaches.

 

By the way, if you're not now in Shenzhen, there may be a 14-day quarantine arriving in Shenzhen from other parts of Mainland China, I'm not sure.

[ChTTay]

5 hours ago, 889 said:

if you're not now in Shenzhen, there may be a 14-day quarantine arriving in Shenzhen from other parts of Mainland China, I'm not sure.

Majority of cities don’t require quarantine for internal domestic travel. Just hot spots. 
 

Last month Shenzhen didn’t require quarantine for visitors. A colleague went to visit a relative and came back. No issues at either end of the trip.