Unfortunately I only got 1 year this time. Vincent told me there are few new hurdles for five years and since I went there on the last possible day there was no more time to prepare the additional docs. Oh well, live and learn.

Ah, okay. Would be interesting to find out what these new hurdles are.

Another forum member is planning on renewing within the next few weeks, and he's going to inquire about details.

I did learn from the agency that each of the different paths to 5 years (e.g. 600k or more in taxed income, registered office in a free trade zone, A level work permit, employment in encouraged industry or directly by the Chinese government, long history, foreign expert) now require additional documentation.

Mine doesn't expire until August but I'm wondering if I can apply now, given I'll be traveling for the summer and won't be back until late July... [update - I called them and they said you generally apply 1 month before expiration]

Last time I extended my RP (Q1) I heard one way to get a 5-year is to certify you have Chinese ancestry. Apparently there is a government office that does that (Office of Overseas Chinese affairs, on Yan'An and Wulumuqi). So this time I'm going to see if I can get this certification and get a 5-year RP.

Aye, that's how I always understood it. I wanted to apply before that once, as it would have made it so much easier, and was told it wasn't possible. HOWEVER, I never pushed it, and wasn't sure if it was a HARD "no" or just someone trying to get rid of me.


(bolding mine)

Would love to know what those are exactly.
I got a 5-year RP issued late last year, so it would be fascinating to find out what they possibly could be asking for that they didn't.

Went to China a couple of times via train from HK in April, and no one asked for test at train terminal or immigration.

went through Lo Wu on Thursday, took 3 hours to get through with 5 day visa and everybody’s tests were being checked

Entered at PVG yesterday via flight from SFO. Check-in for US flight required visual display of QR code.Timatic told them to do it. China immigration and baggage claim exit queue took two hours. Scan QR and fingerprints at immigration. My passport and multi-year visa were studied thoroughly. No test confirmation request.

Can folks who’ve entered on M visas recently speak to their experiences at immigration? Spooked by the traveler who reported they were asked for their invitation letter. Mine was issued pre pandemic so I no longer have that invitation letter.

What were they checking as far as tests? The QR code or were they actually asking people to look at their self taken antigen tests? Would be strange since the vast majority of people crossing at LoWu wouldn’t need any testing at all.

When I crossed at Lowu last month there was a woman staffer standing at the entrance to the passport channel on HK side asking how long I'd been in Hong Kong. That was it.

My work colleagues (x3) have travelled recently and all have been asked for invitations

Do you mean copies of invitation letters that you might have received 5+ years ago? If so, that's insane.

Everybody was channelled around a group of officials who took details of everyone. They just looked at my photo of my test and nodded but still took ages noting down details

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.)