Originally Posted by
malloc
I entered on a 1 year multiple M visa.
Pre-pandemic there were never any questions at all, I simply passed through after they checked my documents, face and fingers.
However this time, I got some weird questions about who my employer was and the clerk used an unusually long time to flip through the passport multiple times... Very odd...
Didn't get a question directly about the invitation letter, but maybe it would have helped to show it to avoid those questions...
(But why, it's the embassy/consulate that checks your invitation and gives the visa, I though the job for the clerk at immigration was just to verify that the visa/passport matches the person entering.)
The immigration officer is there is review whether you're admissable to the country, and that includes all aspects of your entry.
The fact that you have a visa in your passport is just confirmation that you have satisfied some process that has been approved by an overseas consulate, and is effectively a green light for companies to transport you to China, and evidence that the immigration officer will take into account at the border. But an immigration officer can open a full investigation into whether your visa is valid, double check all the supporting evidence for that, require further clarification and interview you needed, and if deemed necessary cancel the visa in your passport and return you from whence you came.
Never underestimate the power of an immigration officer to ruin your plans.
(And this comment doesn't just apply to China)