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