As many posters love to point out: China's laws are variably enforced and locally interpreted.

It is safe to say, however, that China, a country of over a billion people, is now philosophically committed to restricting immigration to what they perceive as higher value 'immigrants'.

No one know how this will affect the FTs who are working legally. Their ranks have likely thinned this academic year. As I have written before, this is no great tragedy. Chinese English teachers do an adequate job and many Chinese students are now returning to China with Western graduate degrees, eager to teach at universities. It can also be said that learning the English language is no longer as important in China as it was a decade ago.

FTs working illegally will continue to face the possibility of enforcement actions. As you suggest, I also suspect that their numbers have grown this past year. Recruiters and private schools will continue to do whatever is necessary to put a white face in their windows in the mall. No one actually cares what happens to these naive FTs that arrive without Z visas and end up working illegally.

Western countries restrict immigration and combat illegal immigrant employment in a variety of ways. China is developing it's own policies.

The day of the backpacker and the crazy Uncle FT is coming to an end.