This will be a very long longshot. Unless the Chinese national has some significant clout it is almost certainly a dead end. They don't even want their own citizens coming back for urgent family matters let alone foreigner.

I'm willing to bet that my expensive visa guy that I put you touch with has sufficient 关系 to pull this off, but even he gets slowed down by the bureaucracy at times.

Chinese citizens have no issue going back if they can afford the flight tickets that are more expensive than usual They do have to quarantine once they get there though. I know of several who have done so including one last week.

I know that, my comment was in relation to the foreigner spouse of the Chinese National being given a visa and allowed to enter. Even us foreigners who have valid residence permits can come and go with the quarantine. I did it myself last month.

Are you aware that some people cannot get approved with the green health code as their trips were considered non essential? They have bought the tickets and have all the documents except the approval code.

Last month was last month. AA127 on 1/3 only 80 people got the green code and were allowed to board the plane. Many waited at the airport hoping to receive the final approvals that never came.

I dare say that all of us that are in China now and posting here have green codes. If we leave, they will allow us to return (and do the hotel quarantine drill, of course).

I don't know exactly what the sign-up process for the health codes entails, but I do remember that my neighborhood committee lady did it for me in less than 30 seconds (she visited my apartment the morning after I returned from my month in Thailand last year; in addition to helping me with the health code, she gave me a thermometer, masks, hand sanitizer, and her WeChat).

As of last week it looked like if you are (a chinese citizen) in U.S. on F-1 or J-1 yeah you get the green code (from the consulate)... if not, tough luck. I think things are tightening up now that Chinese new year is coming up.

Did something change recently? Prior to this, I’ve been hearing that almost everyone who has the proper testing and itinerary documentation is getting the green HS/HDC codes.

So, you're saying that the WeChat health code miniprogram no longer works?

Notice on the Launch of QR Code with "HDC" Mark for China-bound Foreign Passengers ? Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America

Some reports at least that the Washington DC Embassy is playing hardball with giving out green codes - see the link below (in Chinese)
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA...445c7d47f76312

Summary:
First half of the article talks about the need for double testing (4 test in total - PCR and antibody from two labs to be uploaded at the same time) for flights from South Africa to China (and speculates this requirement may be extended to other countries).

Second half talks about some recent cases where green codes were not given - some cases where one family member got a green code but their child did not, noting that (i) seems confined to Washington DC, so some travellers have changed itinerary to fly out of SFO/NYC; and (ii) generally people not given green codes are US green card holders, and Chinese on work or tourist visas.

Caveats: (1) No links to original sources given though for any of the data and "reports" mentioned in the article; (2) the "news" story is basically a front for click-through advertising


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It wouldn't surprise me if they were tightening the belt, but I'm still curious to hear about yoyo results using the WX miniprogram in the US last week (i.e. I can access it, but my interface only shows my code because I already have one).

I believe it still works but Chinese consulate is in control of who to issue the green code to and who to issue the red code to. So far only two flights (1 AA, 1 Delta）have seen people with J F US visa obtained green code and many other visa got red code so the data is still preliminary. I sure hope it does not become a trend.

Here is a wiki in Chinese that documents this issue:

https://www.uscreditcardguide.com/zh...ingfafanglvma/

It appears that only Chinese nationals holding US visas in the category F and J are being given green codes to board the flights. Everyone else is being denied unless they have humanitarian grounds for travelling (e.g., family member in ICU or passed away).

Completely different codes. You're talking about the code we use here in China. Yoyo is talking about the code you need to get from the Chinese embassy/consulate before boarding the plane for the flight to China. You need to upload your documents including testing results, passport info, visa info, etc. into their app and then wait for them to approve it. It has nothing to do with the health code we use here in Shanghai or elsewhere in China.

When I did it a month ago it was relatively painless and I got an approved code in about an hour. According to Yoyo, now they are not giving the codes out so freely which means they are using it as a way to limit the number of people coming back to China.