Visa restrictions in china

hi all..

Here China government is imposing restrictions on the visas. One cant get a long time visa at least during this olympic period. They have stopped issuing business visas, no student visa for this summer only they are processing tourist visa which too have many requirements. Generally people use to get visa from Hong Kong but now that has been stopped all the foreigners are supposed to get the tourist visa from their own country. Few countries are allowed to apply for visa from other countries but not from hong kong.
These visa restrictions is really a curse for business community as well as who stay here for short duration and move to other country. Now there are many problems are arising. Since 1apr08 no more business, student visas. According to one website one student from Beijing has been deported to his country as his visa was about to over and chinese embaay didnt approved for extension of his visa.
Here when authorities are asked about these restrictions they say it is only for safety and security in the country during olympics. During olympics i dont think restricting visas are going to help, people are visiting china for many reasons other than olympics. No confirmation when they are going to remove these restrictions from visas. People who are on employment pass here will also suffer if they have to reapply for their pass during this olympics period. All the foreigners except few are really in panic what to do for visas. Noone knows the new rules for visas. In US and European union so many applications for business visa for china is rejected.
If this continues how many people from other countries can do business with china. I come to know through few websites that they are sending all the foreign students to their own country in July and August this year. Business people will suffer that is one thing, students will suffer what china goverment can do for their loss of that term.

hi padma,
it is really a complicated situation for people doing business with china and the foreign students...taking precautions against anti social elements is one thing and driving out innocent businessme and students is a different thing...i dint know that they stopped chinese visas in HK...a lot of indian businessmen here keep visiting mainland on and off...wonder what will happen to their entry permits....few months back when we made a trip to mainland, we applied for tourist visa for us and my BIL..we had to get traveller's cheques of USD 100 each for each day we proposed to stay in china for him...we dint have to pay as we have HK id cards...i found that totally unreasonable as in a place like china i dont see anyone spending 100 USD a day including all expenses...but what to do...this is china and here no one can reason out with the govt...or raise any issues...that way freedom of expression is better in HK though in 40 yrs when the agreement for "one country two systems" policy gets over, god knows what china will do to HK citizens' privilages also...

hi Vidhya ...

thanks for the response. Actually there is not much problem for the people who already a resident of Hong kong or people living in hong kong with work permit, for hong kong people visa will be processed there itself. Even japanese, taiwan people also dont have any problem. Main problem is for the other foreigner like many europeans have their factories established in mainland, so they used to go hoing kong preferably for their business meeting and they used to apply for visa in hong kong itself, but now no foreigners are allowed to apply in hong kong, that has to be done in own country. A businessmen having frequent meeting in hong kong cant go back to his own country just for 30days tourist visa. Business visa is not available now so if someone takes tourist visa earlier it will be of no use ater 30days. So, thousands of people are going to suffer. It doesnt makes any sense restricting visas, they can take some more time for i nvestigation and genuine requirement but restriction is curse for many. Still they have not revealed new visa rules and they have restricted at least 33 countries in which india is also included, so lets see how we will suffer this.

hi padma,
i have an update on the visa restriction scene....here lot of people make trips to shenzhen for weekends...one of my DH's colleagues (indian) planned on a trip and went to shenzen last weekend with family...only to be driven back to HK because they dint give a entry visa...poor guy had to travel back with family (one hr train journey) he had done hotel booking and everything already, became wasteful......they just denied them visa without any explanation....

hi Vidhya...

now as per the new visa policy resident of hong kong have to apply for visa in hong kong and many nationalities are not allowed to apply for visa in hong kong india is one of them...and now visiting visa processing will take two to three days...now they have stopped renewing employment passes toooojust imagine our condition...what will we do if they uplift these regulations..