Originally Posted by
EMIC
Started process this morning to renew my Q1 visa in China. Plenty of time before current one expires, but as they keep your passport for 10-21 days, thought now would be ideal time to action it.
Spoke to lady in local Entry / Exit office, who I have dealt with 3 times previously, and she stated nothing could be done at present because of some BIG changes in the visa processing, which starts from April 27th.
This lady is one of those rare gems, she has been extremely helpful and knowledgeable in the past.
Now, as with all Chinese, her terminology of BIG, could mean an extra line being added to a form, or a completely new set of rules....................
She / her office deal primarily with Q1 and work visas / changes / extensions, as opposed to the 1 or 2 year multi entry business visas which are predominantly actioned outside of the country.
No more information at present, but maybe a heads up for anyone wanting to apply for new visas in the near future.
I'm not familiar with Q1s, but having dealt with exit/entry offices both directly and via third party agents, I definitely recommend the latter, even during normal times. At first, the fees seemed outrageous to me, but I now see value:
-(almost) no need for me to worry about things after the engagement
-fewer trips to the entry/exit office in person (it's nearly impossible to avoid at least one, unfortunately)
-impossible to forget or mess up any of the required documents
-they have far better guanxi with the entry/exit people than almost all of us mere mortals ---> increased odds of getting favorable terms (e.g. 5 years v 1 or 2 years, fast turnaround times)
-the agents I know don't charge a retainer, so they have incentive to get things done as quickly as possible
Note: My comments above apply to using agents inside of China for assistance fulfilling complex application requirements (very easy to screw up), not to agents in other countries that are really just document runners with offices near PRC consulates.