Dave
- 2009-07-21
Hi Turino,
Just to let you know that the conclusion of my colleague's predicament is that it is no longer a predicament.
He and his wife went ahead on the lines you suggested but with a small twist in that his wife is not his 'Agent' - instead, he is his wife's 'employee'. He is staying on at this establishment as an unofficial teacher but it is his wife who will be the official employee and the local PSB have agreed to turn a 'blind eye' to the fact he is the one who will be working here. He has been given a one year L-Visa and told that it will be renewable providing he and his wife are still married at that time. Evidently this is an unofficial arrangement on the part of the local PSB but it sounds very workable providing they keep their word regarding the blind-eye
The school we work for is in no way to blame for this situation and in fact made three successive applications for a new Residence Permit for him, all of which were rejected on account of his age. Under the table negotiations were believed to have taken place but they failed too.
So far as I am concerned, that is the end of this matter and I thank you again for your earlier advice.
Dave
Turino
- 2009-07-01
Thanks, Turino, for your suggestions on here and sent to my e-mail address. I will let him have a copy of what you have said and he can then take it from there.
Dave
You're welcome.
By the way,after 2 years of continuous L's in China,your colleague can get a 2-year residence permit,not a 1-year one,extendable after one year's stay for another year.Sorry,I'd made a mistake!
I'd heard that the 5-year RP is much harder to get than before.In your colleague's case,it might well be that since he's only been wed to a Chinese national for around 6 months,the PSB feels that he is undeserving of their trust.For example,he could divorce 3 months from now,and live as a single person in China for more than 4 years thereafter were he to receivedthe 5-year RP now,sth that would not be a good thing from the Waiban's point of view!
Dave
- 2009-06-30
Thanks, Turino, for your suggestions on here and sent to my e-mail address. I will let him have a copy of what you have said and he can then take it from there.
Dave
Turino
- 2009-06-30
Might I make a suggestion?He can appoint his Chinese wife as his agent.They should visit the PSB in his wife's hometown.There she can discuss calmly how he can stay legally in China.
As for his renewing his Z visa,that may be impossible due to age restrictions.But I cannot see why he can't get an L visa for visiting a relative,namely his wife.He can go on renewing it thereafter,but of course he cannot work legally with it.And if he ever got divorced,he wouldn't be able to present his marriage certificate,and would therefore lose the right to stay in China on long L's.He should apply for a 360-day L visa.He'll get at least a 90-day L,which can be renewed before it expires.No need to worry.After 2 years of L visas without leaving the country,he will automatically qualify for 360-day residence permits,which will save the pages in his passport.But should he leave the country at a later date,his residence permit will be taken from him at the exit point.Then he'll revert back to L visas on his return,the initial one applied for outside China being only a 30-day L visa,which can be renewed within China as and when necessary on presentation of his marriage certificate,wife's hukou and apartment rental contract.
I am a teacher in China and I am posting this question on behalf of a colleague of mine who is virtually catatonic with worry and simply not functioning right now. He is 72 years old and married a Chinese woman of 45 about 6 months ago. The marriage took place in China, very properly, and is therefore China-legal. He is Canadian and has just been informed that his application for a renewal of his visa has been rejected on account of his age. His understanding is that in order to stay in China he must not only be married to a Chinese woman but must at all times have a steady job too. He believes that if the visa problem cannot be resolved, or if he cannot find another job where the employer can fix one for him, he will have to leave China, effectively ending his marriage.
My understanding is that once legally married to a Chinese, the foreigner has legal right of residence in China, renewable every five years, whether or not he has a job in China. The only condition being that his marriage remains intact.
Can anyone give me some simple advice about this, please?
Dave