Originally Posted by jeebus

Help! I've been reading about the various types of visas available, and I'm concerned that I don't fit neatly into any of the categories. The closest seems to be an M visa, but I've also found scant information about the new entrepreneurship visa that was recently introduced. I would appreciate some wisdom from the crowd (or any recommendations of knowledgeable agencies who can guide me).

In short, I'm planning to participate in a startup accelerator in Beijing with the intent of launching a company in China (not necessarily based in Beijing). For starters, I will need to be in Beijing for at least 3 months of scheduled meetings and events with the accelerator - so being able to get a visa for at least 90 days would be ideal, although my understanding is that I could still file for an extension while in China OR exit/re-enter if my visa duration is 30 or 60 days. Longer term, I expect my business partner (also from the US) will remain in China, while I will return to the US and fly back frequently. Thus, a multiple-entry, 10 year visa would be ideal.

I'll have a letter from the accelerator documenting my expected 3 months of participation initially. During my time in China, I'll be conducting business with Chinese entities such as contract negotiations, but I currently have no documentation for my own company as it does not yet exist. Also, I likely won't be paid for a while, so I don't know whether I count as being employed and working in China either!