Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
Some countries look at passport entry and exit stamps to determine whether proof of certain shots is required.
IMO there could also be a question about repeated entry as a tourist when the real purpose is a visa run, as evidenced by a pattern of entry and exit from certain border crossings (for example, Thailand visa extensions, especially for foreigners who have been working illegally).
With regard to shots, that's a good point. But a better policy would just be to require certain shots in all scenarios. With modern travel, it doesn't take long for diseases to spread, and everyone should just be vaccinated against everything.
With regard to visa runs, a country could easily figure that out by looking at its own exit and entry stamps. It doesn't matter where you are going when you're doing a visa run, it only matters that you exited and entered again soon after exiting, and that you're staying close to the maximum time allowed each time.
I think this policy of the PRC is ridiculous (as are many things about the PRC), and I don't know what problem it has with Turkey (jiejie has some speculation in the TWOV thread), but I disagree.
If I were an immigration officer or a visa issuer, I would want to know if someone has a history of not complying with immigration rules in other countries.
If someone is applying for permission to live in a country and not just for a short visit, I think it is completely justified for that country to want to know where they have been living and travelling to in the past, and what they were doing there.
Policy? If it's a policy, why isn't it on the website of the Chinese embassy in Washington DC? I don't see anything saying "except people who have Turkey stamps in their passports". If it's a policy, it should be disclosed.
Visa-free entry & Transit (G) Visa