there is a need for me to do this ! ... your assumptions and assertions regarding this idle thread is misguided and I believe its necessary to tell you why.

Edit - and I still want anyone and everyone who only participates in this thread because of Ks to speak up !

[ Last edited by  twiceAweek at 31-8-2012 15:35 ]

WHAT???!!!

We've been telling you all along that nobody here posts ONLY for K's.
What I've been complaining all along is that to JUST single out this thread to NOT allow K's is totally not fair and is an actual disincentive.  Now that everything else is only gonna be allowed A's - NO PROBLEMO!!


What....am I not getting now?

SEAN

I think you need to go back and look at what you said !

but this is not the problem ... the problem is with your assumptions and that is what I'll address with you

Which post specifically are you referring to.  As far as I can recall, there is NO WAY that I would state that anybody posts ONLY to get K's.

As for "my assumptions" - yes - I would REALLY love for you to actually enunciate them once and for all instead of keeping me (and I think probably quite a few others too) in the dark and basically forcing me to make "whatever" assumptions.
Assumptions?
Really?

Look forward to it!!

SEAN

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 31-8-2012 21:02 ]

''talk is cheap'' is chit-chat, and this is chit-chat, so I don't think a a new thread needs to be started, for whatever my opinion is worth.

Quick question to the experienced bros in here...

I have a canadian passport need to get a Multiple entry 6 months visa for my trip to China in October to visit and stay with my GF who lives in CP.

So past 4 years I have gotten the multiple entry tourist visa no problem (in fact my current passport has 2 of the old multiple entry 6 month visas I got still in it)
This year there seems to be a new anal rule about having to get an invitation letter in order to get the L multi entry 30 day visa.

I have always used my great uncle’s residence on the application form as a family reference for china, but he’s now passed away, and other than that he is a HK citizen who just has a place up there. I was contemplating using his son (my other uncle) but the invitation letter template says stuff about the person needing to be a perm resident in china and have a china ID card

Now I am just planning to get my GF to write up the letter for me and sign it, initially I didn’t think much of it but now that I think about it do you guys think the embassy is strict on this stuff and would think twice about my letter in which my girlfriend from CP (sounds hella suspicious?) is my inviter.

Maybe I’m just thinking too much into this and I’m sure most cases its fine, but I really can not fk this up and need this visa, miss CP too much

I should add, I have thought this situation over tons of times and if need be I have tons of proof that we are actual gf/bf.... Just in case some consulate official decides to get sneaky and call around and check

the lease in CP is actually under my name and we have plane tickets/pictures etc of traveling together even going back to sichuan and seeing her parents

but absolute worst case, I probably can reach out to some other contacts to get myself an invitation letter, only problem is they are HK citizens who just live in CP or GZ... not sure if that matters

IMHO/Of course not 100% sure, the letter IS just a formality.

As I see it, the turn around time between application and issue of visa does NOT allow for thorough vetting/checking of such letter.

Also, as far as your uncle who lives in China but resident of Hong Kong, you should double check with him if he enters China using his "home return permit" (like most Hong Kong People) - for if so, then he IS a permanent resident and do hold a valid China ID card (his home return permit).

But if you decide on asking your GF to write the letter, I also don't see much problems as the letter IS genuine and IS from somebody who is a China resident with a valid ID card; not suspicious at all IMHO and if challenged, you can say that she IS your GF - or better still, fiance - and you are there to see her.

Just IMHO
SEAN

Yes, we could just go on with this thread - but it IS getting long in the tooth plus with the new rules etc, we should tweak it a little bit i.e. a new Introductory Page explaining clearly its raison d'etre, ethos, aims etc.

On top of that, IMHO a clean slate would be best as the last pages certainly have NOT been errr.... "awe inspiring/conducive to the feel good factor we've previously always had on here."

And there is of course Twice's still to be proclaimed problems that he has with this thread. Lets see what he comes up with and adjust the tenor of the new thread accordingly and if need be.

Besides which - hey, I need to score that 5A points!!  LMAO!

SEAN


Just an experiment  BUT it does show that there is no K awarding restrictions on this section - perhaps not yet?
Somebody please reverse that K I just awarded - before I get the wrath of the burning bush!!

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 1-9-2012 11:21 ]

Alright cool... thx SEAJ

I can say fiance...and guess just put her as the reference... thx

it was just all these years mongerin and goin on 141 skewed my view towards CP haha

Hey, don't everyone neg me.... I haven't been negged in donkey years!!  Haha

Starting a new thread might have people questioning whether you're seeking 5A (or a tenth of a karma point)

LMAO!
And here's my post to get 1/50th of a K point!
SEAN

Got a question!

Now that "posting just to get posting credits" no longer can apply on the general section - how do we justify telling guys off - especially newbies - from posting up some of the inane comments they are wont to put up?

Hmmmm.... perhaps that's the intent of the new rules - since I see that the post count these days are so low/back to early 2009 levels!  Must make this site all the less valuable posts/eyeball countwise!

And come to think of it - now that the report section IS still gonna be posting credit eligible - is there gonna be more and more nonsense questions/fluff one liners being put up on reports?

Anyway....whatever!!

SEAN

YOU SEE SEAN, someone is marrying a girl in CP! It still happens right?! You give me some sort of hope that an old soul like me still has a fighting chance!


ASnDragon

I think you are...  You know how many people travel to China?  And how many people there are in China that could be doing the inviting?  They are not going to check.

I used to need a company invitation, and even that was a joke.  What the invitation is for, is in case you get into trouble.  Like if you get caught with drugs.  Then the government can follow up with someone in China.

I would not mention fiance or anything.  Keep it as general as possible.

k cool thx for the feedback bros

cant wait to get back in CP

A bit late on the reply, but some tips (based on my experiences over the past 6 years of dealing with a good amount of visa issues, both in the Mainland and back in the US) that might help you out genius4832 for a longer-term tourist visa (if that's what you're looking for) And yes, this is all first-hand info from me:

As you mentioned, China has been clamping down on tourist visa's since 2011. Before then, getting 1-year L visa's with multiple entries (with each duration of stay for 90 days) was easily obtained. Since last year though, seems that the max L-visa you can get without any kind of paperwork/documentation for a multiple entry is 6 months, with each duration of stay for 60 days (and even getting something like that is like pulling teeth sometimes). So if you're looking for something longer, here are some tips that have helped me personally these past 2 years:

1. The best lies are based on (half) truths

The most important thing to remember in getting a longer term L visa is that you MUST show a reason that you are required to be in the country for a long duration. For example, maybe you have a sick relative you need to take care of? Or in your case, with your uncle's passing, maybe there are some estate matters that need to be handled in person by you? If you can show proof of relationship, they'll usually grant you that 'exception' (Have gotten a 1-year multiple entry with each duration of stay for 90 days using this method).

2. Documentation/paperwork isn't always just a formality!!!

As mentioned above, usually what you show/give the visa officer for proof is just a formality, but in certain (very rare) cases, they DO check up on you (ie address you provide/China contact person/etc). How rare? Well, over the past 6 years and an estimated 30 or so visa's, there has only been 1 incident where the PSB showed up at the door of someone to check/verify. This was back in 2008 or 2009 I believe, before China became more anal about handing out visa's. I can't comment on whether there is a decrease/increase in checks now though.

3.  Be nice to the visa officer!

Yes, while it sometimes might feel like the DMV (or whatever Canada's equivalent long-queue-times department is), showing up with a stank attitude won't help your case AT ALL. The visa officer is the only person (most of the time) that you're interacting with and it's their decision on how much leeway to give you. Be nice/be a charmer, and they'll usually be more than happy to assist you as much as they can (I once pretty much gave a blank visa form to the officer, and she took care of it all, heh heh). Treat them badly/poorly, and they'll make your app process a nightmare. However, be aware that this can sometimes backfire (see below)

4.  Don't take shortcuts:

There was one time where I had become familiar (professionally of course ) with a visa officer... All I wanted was a 6 month visa tourist visa, and she basically said "Well, why don't I just give you a 6 month business (Z) visa, that way you don't have to exit/re-enter after XX days. No invitation letter needed." Sounded great right? WRONG! Well, it would have been great if I didn't need an extension/re-apply for a different visa... However once I found that I needed to re-apply, the different visa officer was very surprised that there was no documentation for my F-visa... I was pretty clueless as well, and what followed was a light interrogation about my details (what I was doing in China, why I had an F-visa, why there was no letter, who gave me my visa, etc). Additionally, I had to wait a few days while they communicated with the consulate in the states as well, and only then did I finally get my re-app'ed visa (with a lecture of course to make sure I submitted the proper paperwork next time). Just a pain in the ass to deal with in the end.

5.  Use a REPUTABLE visa agent:

Ever since the more stringent visa controls, I've had to turn to visa agents a few times to get longer-duration visas (maybe 3 times in the past 2 years?). They of course have an established relationship with the visa office, and usually are able to get a little more in terms of stay/duration on visa. There is of course a premium on this service as opposed to just going yourself, but if all else fails or if you just don't want to hassle yourself, this is a good option as well (keyword being REPUTABLE agent).


---------------Edit:----------------

After re-reading your post, I don't think I even answered your question, hahaha....

It does seem VERY weird that they are asking you to provide an invitation letter just a 6-month, multiple entry, 30 day stay visa. There are no SET/UPDATED regulations regarding needing an invitation letter for an L visa, but rather there is the provision that additional documentation is up to the visa officer's discretion, which I believe is your case here. The visa you're applying for is peanuts in terms of how common it is issued, so I'd venture to believe the main issue is on the visa officer/consulate that you visited. My suggestions:

Step 1: Try another visa officer (suggestion 3 above)

Maybe your visa officer just had a bad day. Depending on how close you are to the visa office, you could try just stopping by and hope that you get a different visa officer. Worst case scenario is that you just get sent back saying you need an invitation letter (then in this case, it would seem to be stricter visa control at your certain consulate/embassy).

Step 2: Use your lease as an 'invitation letter' (suggestion 1 above)

Based on what you wrote above, the fact that you have a lease under your name in China should be reason and proof enough for you to return. Did you mention that to your visa officer that was handling your app? You can always say you need to return to extend/break/take care of the lease, and if you have a copy of the lease, that should be good enough.

Step 3: Use a travel agency/visa agency (suggestion 5 above)

This could be the simplest way, although at an additional cost. Like I said above, a 6month/multiple entry/30 day stay is a cakewalk for a travel/visa agency. If the cost is too much in Canada, you could just fly into Hong Kong and take care of it there through one of the numerous agencies (I can recommend the one I use occasionally if needed). Turnaround time can be as quick as same day or next day depending on what time you give the app to them. Additionally, you can always call the agency first to see what they documentation they need for the type of visa you want (and I would assume it'd just be the usual app form/passport/picture).

Step 4: Use your GF for the invite letter

Again, shouldn't be an issue. I'm still very surprised that for the type of visa you're applying for that they are even asking for documentation. If you don't have anything to hide/will be at the address you listed, no real issues there.

Hopefully this helps.

[ Last edited by  mtmtmt61 at 2-9-2012 08:13 ]

I guess time will tell on what guys will do.  True about the forum being awfully quiet, but I'd hate to see a return to the days when you'd have 20-30 one-liners.

mtmtmt61, Amazing post with a ton of useful info

I must say I'm extremely careful in these types of situations (who wants to fuck up a visa with a communist country!). So I've considered all the angles. I definitely don't have anything to hide and if it will help me get the visa I would be happy for them to check everything out but anyways I wasn't sure how visa officers view CP in the same light we do

Anyways I have about a month to get this visa before I have to leave. No point for me getting a longer one as I always go from October- March, so any longer visa is pointless to me (although a 60 day limit does seem really nice... but I don't know if that is going to be available to me)

For the letter, I didn't physically goto the consulate... I found this out through checking with a bunch of agencies I usually goto who process the visa for me. I find this way usually works better as you mentioned and it saves me a bunch of running around, parking, lining up and arguing for $30 or so.. good deal and especially since they have their own connections in the consulte which they goto for speedier approvals I'm assuming

I will end up using my GF for the letter seeing as I thought it through and having the lease in my name is a big plus for my case.

Only thing I'm still thinking about is putting her as GF/Fiance or even friend? (another poster mentioned keeping it as general as possible)

First instinct says to go with GF since if they ask me details about our "engagement" I would have to plan something out as I have not bought her a ring or formally proposed or anything haha

DOH! Remember A's only now, heh heh. I'm sure someone will reverse the K given.

I'd probably still just recommend using the lease as the main reason, and leaving the GF completely out of it. This is of course assuming your lease and everything is on the up-and-up (valid lease agreement as well as that you were previously registered as a foreigner at your local PSB).

Maybe talk to the agency you're using as well, as I'm still in awe that for a simple L visa, they need an invitation letter (I had a friend visit me from the US a few months back and had to help her through the process, didn't need an invite letter). It just makes no sense to me that tourists/first-timers to China would need to know someone from China to get them to go (even if it is through a tourist agency).

If you do use the GF reason though, best advice I can give is just to keep it honest if there's no other subtext to your coming over. Nothing more annoying that having something too general and then having to supplement additional paperwork for a simple L visa, heh.

And remember, no K's! Only A's!