Foreigners' relatives expected to benefit from the change

Relatives of foreign residents in China will soon have more opportunities to visit their lovedones, thanks to new visa rules announced on Monday.

Under regulations from the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, an S visa will becreated for family members of professionals from overseas.

Spouses, young children, parents and parents-in-law will all qualify for the visa when theregulations take effect in September, authorities said. S1 visas will allow a stay of more than sixmonths, while S2 visas will be for shorter visits.

No details about S2 visa applications were announced, but experts said having a new categoryfor foreign expatriates' relatives will make applications more convenient and easier.

Under existing rules, foreigners arriving in China for family reunions can only apply for an Lvisa.

Wang Huiyao, director-general of the Center for China and Globalization, an independent, non-profit think tank in Beijing, said he believes the new move will help attract and retaininternational expertise.

The Legislative Affairs Office said in a statement: "Foreigners holding an L visa could becoming for tourism, family reunions or personal affairs. That visa category doesn't preciselycorrespond to the purpose of a visit."

The office said it has subdivided visa categories to more accurately state the reason for travel,adding that it hopes the regulations can deepen China's opening-up, boost tourism and attractmore overseas talent.

The number of foreigners entering and leaving China has increased at an average rate of 10percent annually since 2000, reaching 54.3 million last year, according to the Ministry of PublicSecurity.

By the end of 2011, 4,752 foreigners had been granted permanent residency. Among them,more than 1,700 green card holders are overseas professionals working in China, and the restare family members who have come to be reunited with them.

Arthur Glauser, 33, a teacher at an international school in Tianjin has worked in the city for fouryears. He and his Chinese wife have a child.

Glauser said his parents have never had a chance to visit his home in China and that he hasno immediate plans to leave.

"It would be lovely to have my parents spend a little time with their grandson," he said.

He said family reunions will be an issue for an increasing number of foreigners in coming years,as China is wooing overseas experts and many foreigners are looking at opportunities in thecountry.

Glauser said he believes more people will consider settling down in China, but they will all facethe same dilemma of how to balance life far away from home.

Liu Guofu, an immigration law professor at Beijing Institute of Technology, said the governmenthas shown its sincerity toward global talent with the new policy.

"People being allowed to apply for S visas include the parents and parents-in-law of foreigners,which is much more generous than the international standard, which limits this to only spouseand children," he said.

"The policy will benefit many foreigners, making their lives much easier and more comfortable... so that they can work in the country for a longer period."

But he said the change will bring challenges in the handling of foreigners, adding, "There aremany other ways to attract talent and create a friendly environment for these professionals."

Changes

Streamlined procedures

for overseas Chinese:

A Q visa will be introduced in response to calls by overseas Chinese for improved exit and entry procedures. It will mainly be issued to people who apply to visit their families, and will allow a relatively long stay.

Personal information

verification:

Financial, educational, medical and telecommunications institutions can verify a foreigner's personal details through public security bureaus. Police can only issue notifications that state whether the information is true or false. They cannot provide specific information about a person, to protect privacy.

Foreign interns

and part-time work:

To curb illegal employment, foreign students must have an academic institution's approval and footnote on their visas - added by a public security bureau - to take up part-time work or an internship.

Categories

Visa categories have been increased from eight to 12.

New & revised

categories:

F - For travelers who arrive for exchanges and visits (previously included business visitors).

M - For travelers on trade and business missions.

Q - For overseas Chinese traveling for family reunions, including Q1 and Q2.

R - For foreign workers whose skills are urgently needed by China.

S - For foreigners who come for family reunions, including S1 and S2.

L - For general visitors (previously included the functions of the new S visa).

Unchanged categories:

C - For international flight crews.

D - For permanent residents.

G - For transit passengers.

J - For journalists, including J1 and J2.

X - For students, including X1 and X2.

Z - For foreign workers.

Liu does not think the government needs to go beyond international convention, which only allows for a spouse and children to visit on a family reunion visa. "Public security authorities will face more pressure," he added.

Apart from the S visa, the regulations introduce another three categories.

These are an R visa for foreign experts whose skills are urgently needed in China, an M visa for visitors on trade and business missions, and a Q visa for families of Chinese citizens living abroad and foreigners with permanent residence in China.