Everyday we manage many situations about Visa application and we collaborate with many offices for immigration procedures, we hear lots of different stories on China Visa.
In every countries to follow immigration rules strictly is the first thing we suggest to do or it could make you pass through very uncomfortable adventures.
Do not overstay.
This seems obvious, and although the punishments vary in severity, overstaying your visa at all may jeopardize any future visa applications. In most cases, you will get a written warning saying that you cannot overstay your visa again within a given period of time.
It happened that a US client of ours, living in China as tourist for more than 1 year overstayed twice in Tianjin. His first overstayed was back in May 2015. The officer was nice enough to give him an extension to Aug 8th 2015. However in August 8th, he only went into a random agency in Tianjin to ask for another Visa extension. The agent was too busy, that they asked him to come back on Monday August 11th instead of advising the US client to leave the country in the same night (August 8th).
They also said to him that 9th and 10th were weekends, no one will check his Visa status at all.
He came back home and without any worries he probably came out with his girlfriend to have a very good Italian pizza that evening.
On Monday afternoon August 11th, the client went back to the same agent. It was shocked for him that the agent took him to the police station and report of overstayed getting a fine of 4000 RMB and also to sign of a Chinese report that he could not read at all. He didn’t know the content of the report and gave his fingerprint, probably nobody (neither him certainly!) will never know: he signed for 60 days of prison in case he would overstayed once more.
He exited China and came to Hong Kong, thinking everything was fine and he can apply for an urgent tourist China Visa here. He went into the Embassy. The officers saw he was overstayed in China twice within 2015. They refused his application and told him not to go back for any application.
He was confused and came to us. After a few calls with the Embassy, basically the Embassy saw that Chinese report that he signed on August 11th that he was overstayed and can be sent to prison for 60 days. The Embassy only work via what the Visa label says, so this US citizen is not able to apply for any China Visa with the same passport again.
Be really careful if you are going to enter into the VISA’s territory!!
It could be full of tricks!!
Centre O Connect is at your complete disposal to help you in case you have any inquiries.
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