If I may?

I have to respond to this because it represents a slur

That was not my intention, and I explained it in a following post. I did not mean it to be a slur. I hope that clears that up.

you are comparing apples with pears!

I do like teaching idioms, but I was under the impression that was cockney rhyming slang?

Why is it preferential?

Because the rules should be equal and fair for everyone.

The visa categories are abundantly clear.

You see it that way, I maintain they are not. I maintain the visa policy in Hong Kong is far superior to that of the Mainland, where a 2 year work visa is issued, and you only need to go to Macau to get it.No return to the UK necessary!!!!!

if one wants to work then apply for a work visa

And how does a foreigner in Hong Kong, or someone in their own country get one of those then? Because I have met more people, even someone with a MA and a DELTA who had to give up because of an officious FAO who followed everything to the letter of the law and has now secured a lucrative job in his own country, the USA.

There is nothing preferential about it.

There is if merely marriage to a chinese woman qualifies one to get one year residency renewable, when someone who is qualified and skilled, but single and unmarried cannot even get a frigging tourist visa longer than one month to even begin the work visa process.

If one qualifies for the appropriate visa I believe it will be granted by the Chinese Embassy in one's home country.

Yes....but why should one have to be in one's home country, if one wants to live in China?

Yes, we can all find fault with the Chinese visa system. It is cumbersome and impractical at times but that's the way it is.

Agreed, but I refuse to accept the "that's the way it is" line of reasoning. If everyone thought like that, black people would still have to sit at the back of the bus!

I followed the rules as it was important to me to be with my wife.

Fair Enough, and I followed the rules in China too. I never circumvented them, unlike many other foreigners did.

No doubt that makes me some sort of grovelling weasel in your book but I couldn't give a damn. I have made my decision and have to live by it.

Did I call you a GW, don't think I did? Nor do I THINK you are one. But as you say, you don't give a damn, so fair enough.

There are changes in the pipeline I was told by senior officer in the Gong An who visited our cafe a few days ago. It remains to be seen whether there will be any easing up.

The end of the 2014/2015 school year was when I read they said they would be sending all foreigners home, to renew visas. Lets see whether that applies to those FT's on working visas, or all foreigners in general.

"Family life" is a requirement of the UN Charter on Human Rights and in my particular case in China has been honoured.

I honestly think the Chinese don't give a shit about the UN. They dump all the africans out into HK, where the UNHCR and ISS takes care of them.

I really don't know what you mean by "unqualified" in this instance.

Explained in the follow up. FT's with no degree or tefl or celta. So not you.

Let's not go down the" I know X who did Y" route again because anecdotal evidence doesn't solve the problems.

Agreed, but what else have we to go on?