Podcast
Overseas Chinese offered longer stays than before
Updated: 2010-05-31 13:33
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Overseas Chinese will be able to apply for longer periods of temporary residence in China from June 1, the exit and entry administration bureau said Sunday.
"There are growing numbers of Chinese with foreign passports coming to visit relatives or put their kids through school in China in recent years, but they can normally only be granted a temporary visa of up to one year," said a press release from the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration of the Ministry of Public Security.
The bureau said there were 16,000 temporary visas granted in Beijing in 2009, with another 5,000 in the first five months of this year.
"Granting overseas Chinese with longer visas will make their lives easier," said Pang Jiang, director of the visa management department at the bureau.
Five kinds of foreign passport holders are eligible to apply for the new and renewable two-year temporary residence permits: Foreign wives, husbands, parents and children under 18 of Chinese citizens or foreigners with Chinese permanent residence; overseas Chinese older than 60 without direct relatives in their home country, provided they choose to stay with their families in China; overseas Chinese older than 60 and their direct relatives, provided they have purchased real estate in China; children with foreign nationalities whose parents are overseas Chinese or Chinese citizens with permanent residence in other countries, and who are currently living in China; and overseas Chinese coming to take care of parents aged over 60 - they can only apply for a one-year residence permit.
Pang said many overseas Chinese children are rejected by local schools because of their short-term temporary visas.
"With the two-year residence permit, they do not have to go overseas so often to renew their visas," Pang said. "It saves time and money."
Pang said the application fee for a Chinese visa in the UK is 1,408 yuan, valid for up to one year. The two-year residence permit will cost 800 yuan.
Beijing police will open a hotline (8402-0101) to receive public feedback on the new residence policy. More application details will be released on the government website at www.beijing.gov.cn, on June 1.
Questions:
1. How many temporary visas were granted in 2009?
2. How long are the visas good for?
3. Who will be eligible for the new visas?
Answers:
1. In Beijing, 16,000 temporary visas granted in 2009, with another 5,000 in the first five months of this year.
2. A temporary visa is good for up to one year.
3. Five kinds of foreign passport holders are eligible to apply for the new and renewable two-year temporary residence permits.
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.