Read the post
Just to clarify this is getting a Manland China visa in HK, not problems getting a visa to HK for the handful of countries who had to.

Considering I posted this in the "China Visa" thread . . . . .

Apologies but it did read like HK Immigration Department was applying a Turkey ban too until I clicked and read the link.

I'm traveling to Hong Kong in September and would like to make a day visit to Shenzen via train. I'm planning on applying for a visa at the Houston consulate in person once I renew my passport (expires in August). Is the round-trip flight itinerary to/from Hong Kong enough for the visa or does the flight itinerary have to be for a flight to/from mainland China?

It looks like from previous posts the HKG flights should be enough and put a comment mentioning taking ground transportation across to Shenzen. Anyone have recent experiences with this?

Thanks!

If there is a problem -- and I'm not suggesting there will be -- you can now buy high-speed rail tickets online through ctrip etc between HK and Shenzhen, then refund them less commission and a service charge.

Looking to attend the Shanghai Motor Show this year, working for a magazine. Do I need to request a J2 visa or just a regular tourist visa? I can't figure this one out and don't wanna be denied since it's 2.5 weeks away.

"Working for a magazine" could be an issue, regardless of what type of visa you apply for. Do you have any other companies you can list as your employer; even "self employed" might bump up your chances of success. If I were in your shoes, I would go for an L (tourist) visa, but feel free to PM me if you want to shoot for an M (business) visa. From a functional perspective M isn't much better than L. J2 applications are heavily scrutinized.

It's not like he's sneaking around interviewing dissidents.

He sounds like a business journalist attending a trade fair.

Yes, there'll be more-than-ordinary hassle getting the visa, but I don't think he has much choice. China is pretty clear that it expects foreign journalists heading to China on short-term assignments to travel on a J2 visa. Cutting corners on something like this just to save a bit of time and hassle would be a foolish risk these days, I think.

Yes, I am self-employed, so I can list that without bending the rules.

Exactly, attending the fair and in country for 3 days.

I thought about the tourist visa but I didn't wanna lie on the application. It might be obvious on the form that I'm a journalist and that I might attend the fair.

I do have a letter from a company in China to show that I will be attending the show as their guest.

Do I need to do anything for J2? I saw that the application says something like

Applicants should contact the press office of the Chinese Embassy/Consulate General in advance and complete relevant formalities.

Thank you!

This is the sort of procedure that varies depending on the particular embassy or consulate. No alternative but to ask and find out just what the place you'll be using wants.

My previous 2-year Chinese visa and Canadian passport expired so I've had to go through the process again.

Used express service at visa office and they returned passport with visa within 48 hours. Interestingly, Chinese visas are now in a new format and include photo on the visa itself. If I knew this, I would have taken a better photo! Oh well...

For reasons nobody could explain to me, I was issued a 9 year visa. On the form I wrote 120 months and the visa application center agent crossed it out and wrote 108 months. I was expecting it would be 10 years less 3 or 6 months, but less 12 months seems a bit short. Not a huge deal but will require either not traveling to China in my last year of passport validity or renewing a year in advance.

Back from the consulate, they asked for an Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit in order to get the J2. I guess the invitation from the Chinese company was not enough.

Has anyone dealt with that?

I sent you a PM on this, but for the sake of the rest of the community, I'm thinking L or M are the best way forward for you. The motor show isn't a hot button topic.

For the sake of his own peace of mind, I think getting the J2 visa is the right approach. He should contact the trade show organiser for help. Or the press attache at the consulate, per the instructions.

Point is, he may well get in as tourist this time, but he'll never be able to rest easy when he tries to get a visa or enter China in the future. The motor show may not be a hot button item, but that's also the point: it's a minor event not worth possibly damaging his reputational assessment in China.