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| UK
Visa Issued in China |
This page
is for ordinary Chinese Nationals who wish to travel
to UK or other Western Countries |
|
| Canada, Australia,
and official group tours (Travel Agents) to USA are
the easiest visa's for Chinese Nationals to obtain.
European visa's are also fairly straight forward. The
worst are visa's to UK, which we will concentrate upon
here... |
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This is how it
really is:
If you are a Chinese Citizen, and either very
rich or very important, you
will easily obtain a UK visa. If you are not, your visa
application will almost certainly be turned-down
Very Rich
Means just that - if you are Chinese and can show proof
you have a lot of money, you will get a UK visa.
Define 'Very Rich'
Excluding Millionaires, very rich is actually a Means
Test of how much tax you pay. You will be asked to provide
at least 6 months Bank records - but what you should
actually show are your last 2-years
For easy reckoning, the tax paid thresholds are currently
(2008) approximately:
A. Chinese Citizen Y10, 000 (Most Chinese
do not even earn this amount in a year)
B. British Sponsor about £10,
000 tax paid (Many Brit's do not even earn this either)
Normally meeting one of the above criteria is enough,
but not always. Sometimes people will need to meet or
exceed both
C. UK Small Businessmen
You are very likely to be affected by this when acting
as a Sponsor
You should also be aware that the special start-up business
taxes you spend hours and a lot of money with your accountants
to legally ensure your first years of business do not
cripple your cashflow with unfair tax burdens - act
against you when trying to take your Chinese girlfriend
to UK. If you understand what I am alluding too, then
you will understand that having a zero or minus profit
margin acts against you when trying to show how much
tax you and your small company pay - and does not reflect
how much money you actually have at your personal disposal.
Catch 22 I am afraid!
D. Students
This category also includes Chinese students - whose
parents pay an extremely large amount of money for Degree
and Masters level education to UK Universities. These
applications are usually granted because Education does
have its own specific and favoured criteria (UK Universities
want your money).
However, if you are paying for an educational course
for your girlfriend to study in UK, then you do need
to be a little wily about it all - especially if she
is older (Over 25) and does not have a checkable work
and tax record in China. Our friends at Excel
Education can help advise you with the specific
facts and your personal best options
There are related areas for Medicine, Summer Camps,
Short Courses (Usually with English Language as core),
and Employability. For instance, Cheltenham & Gloucester
University offers roll-on roll-off English language
courses, which normally include IELTS exam. These are
divided into many levels, but are basically 3-months
duration, running consecutively for all 12 months of
each year. Total charges for 12 weeks study, tuition,
food and accommodation, and IELTS exam - is currently
around £2, 800. Contact our friends at Excel
Education for further information about this and
similar schemes
Very Important People - VIP's
For most practical purposes, we are basically talking
about Business visa's here ie. you are employed in the
International or Export office of a Chinese Company.
The Boss of a Chinese Company is visiting UK for matters
related to Exports or Import will easily get a visa
to UK. If your Chinese Company is large enough - then
both the Boss and the whole team should have little
difficulty getting UK visa's - given letters of invitation,
genuine checkable reasons + a large bankroll, etc
It is difficult for us to generalise, but others included
in this category (And outside of Global Business Corporations,
Governmental or Diplomatic services) can include: Cultural
visits by performing artists, Official Group Tours,
Official Exchange visits, those with immediate family
in UK (Restrictions apply), and those working on approved
projects for the disadvantaged (Such as The DreamScheme)
Improve Your Chances
Before applying for a UK visa, we strongly suggest you
do all of the following:
1. Visit Hong Kong and / or Macao.
We suggest you go to each SAR at least once.
• Group tours are easy for nearly all Chinese,
but try to do this independently with just a friend
for support.
2. Visit another 'friendly' foreign
country. This refers to the 14 nearby countries given
'special status' (In theory) by Beijing. These countries
include: Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines.
• Again, group tours are fairly easy to obtain,
and there are no issues.
• To help your visa cause for UK, then you do
need to do this independently also.
Note: Whilst in theory a visa is not necessary for say,
Thailand - we know of a Chinese wife not being allowed
on the aeroplane whilst her foreign husband was! See
any travel agent and arrange your visa in advance, just
to be sure. They will do this for you and the cost is
minimal (Y600 or so).
3. To further improve your chances,
you could also visit a country that is not on Beijing's
special list.
• Taiwan is a very special case, and going there
may not increase your chances of obtaining a UK visa.
Summary
Having completed at least steps 1 and 2 above as an
independent traveller, your chances of obtaining a British
visa are greatly enhanced. However, you will still need
to prove you have the financial status and support in
UK.
However, you have proved:
A. To the Chinese government that you
will return to China, as they are worried you will not
return.
B. To the British government that you
will leave, as they are most concerned you will stay
illegally in UK.
Other Possibilities
Here we delve very lightly into some gray areas and
look at some of what is, and what is not possible...
Au Pair
You will not be allowed to bring a Chinese person
to UK as an official Au Pair. Today this scheme appears
to be highly politically selective and pro-eastern european
- see Teaching below
Teaching Chinese
This area is well worth examining in some detail, and
does not apply to state qualified teachers who already
have a Bachelor or higher qualification - they can qualify
to go to UK under the 'Very Important' category above
However, the theory is a small variation on the Au Pair
criteria - where you Sponsor and employ a Chinese National
to teach your children Mandarin (or Cantonese). You
will need to pay for their return flights in advance,
pay all their medical expenses, give them their own
room in your house, provide all essentials including
clothes and food etc. They should have an IELTS Certificate
to at least IELTS 6.0 (International examination of
how good their English language skills are, measured
globally). You can do this as a couple with kids in
UK. It is very difficult, and it is also possible -
especially if you can support it with family business
reasons in China, or your children's planned education
and subsequent careers.
Work in UK
There are a few options here, but again the wealthy
have a monopoly on things like Employability, Gap Years,
and Work Experience.
However, your Chinese friend whom just happens to own
a Chinese business in UK, restaurant or take-way perhaps,
may just be able to help you. Normally Chinese only
do this for 'Family' - so only do this if you know them
socially as friends. Given the right specific reasons
(Secret recipe you want to serve in UK, excellent Cantonese
Pancake Pastry Chef, etc - and/or a wad of cash) - this
is viable for a 6-month visa. It may also cost you a
bomb to unofficially sponsor, but it can work very well
Please read between the lines here, as the visa issued
will normally be a common Tourist visa = they will be
visiting 'Family; and they will not be allowed to work
for taxable remuneration whilst in UK. Later when they
are in UK, this can be changed to a Work Permit (Very
difficult, but it does happen). The Sponsor will change
to being the Chinese Boss in UK, and you will be expected
to pay him, a 'consideration' on top of any fees incurred.
This Sponsor normally falls into the 'very rich' category
above = excellent UK tax payments record (For 5-years
minimum I believe?)
Note
If you do not fall within any category above, then getting
a UK visa is virtually impossible for ordinary Chinese
people. This is the unofficial policy of the UK Government,
as stated to us personally on Tuesday, 23rd September
2008,as echoed by Chinese Government peers
However, the Consulate will not tell you this until
after the visa application has been turned down, and
only then under extreme pressure. Therefore ordinary
Chinese citizens seeking a common Tourist visa will
be refused for 99.9% of applications - regardless of
your supporting criteria!
Other Information
What very few people are aware
of, is that in China, The British Government have contracted
out visa services to a quasi intergovernmental WOFE
run in conjunction with Beijing. Therefore you are led
to believe your visa application to go to UK is being
dealt with directly by UK Government, when in fact they
are using Third Parties.
UK actually only has: one Embassy in Beijing, and two
supporting Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou (Excluding
Hong Kong and Macao, which have different purposes and
functionality). That is all. Any other buildings and
staff related to them are in fact operated by private
sector 'Service Providers'.
Therefore you will find it extremely difficult to sponsor
a visa application when made in China - simply because
the British Consulate normally leaves matters in the
hands of these 'private state enterprises'.
Tip 1
The system when Applying and Sponsoring in China is
largely geared to Tax-paid Means Testing only. If these
conditions are not met, the visa is automatically refused.
By applying in China, but Sponsoring physically in UK,
you may improve your chances - especially if you can
interpret the Diplomatic gobbledygook and get a Supporting
Interview arranged. This does work for Nepalese Citizens,
and we are currently testing the theory re Chinese.
Tip 2
Stating the Chinese person is your boy or girlfriend
is not a valid reason for issue of
a British visa - it is viewed as a negative reason,
and will probably work against you! Be honestly creative
- ie, do not lie, but chose the right Diplomatic reasons
for the visit
Tip 3
Ensure the Chinese person returns to China as planned,
and before the expiry of the visa. For a First visit
to UK, we do not suggest you try to extend it (Unless
there are extenuating circumstances?)
These notes below are primarily
intended for British men who want to take their Chinese
girlfriends to UK
Tourist Visa:
The visa process has two elements:
1. Permission to leave China = irrefutable
evidence you will return to China
2. Permission to enter UK = you can
prove that you will leave UK (and whilst there you will
spend thousands of £ Sterling, whilst also paying
any health bills, food and accommodations charges, etc)
These are normally conducted as one seamless process.
As well as filling in application forms etc, you will
need to have a letter of invitation, plus flight and
hotel reservations, Educational course booked, or similar,
and declare your last 6-months original Bank statements.
If you are married, then your husband needs to also
declare his financial status. If you are not married
but working, you may be asked for other things also
+ you need to earn of lot of money! If you are single
and not working, your visa will be automatically denied
- - irrespective of any UK sponsorship!
Upon application you will be told to expect an answer
in about 10-days, and to prepare for an interview. The
process currently takes a minimum of 3-weeks, and can
actually take many months. Chinese Nationals biometrics
are checked in UK (Criminal records etc); before your
portfolio is returned to the British Consulate in China
for decision and refusal. We do not know of anyone even
being offered an interview
Sure - it's pretty bad!
If your destination country is not too important, we
recommend you try any other Western Country before trying
UK. The Western Embassies also talk to each other about
you btw (By the way). Therefore getting an easier visa
like a Tourist visa to Australia or Canada, may miraculously
ease your passage to UK or USA - given you actually
went to the country, and returned to China as required
Finally
One thing that does complicate matters is that normal
everyday China is largely a cash-based society - therefore
proving where money comes from, and goes to, can be
quite difficult. This can either be a blessing or a
burden, depending upon your point of view?
Outside The Box
Chinese Company
There are other ways to do this, but they are all complicated,
require money one way or another, and you are always
left at the discretion of both the UK and Chinese Governments
regardless.
For instance, smaller business(wo)men should consider
setting up a WOFE company or Representative
Office in China. It will give specified
foreigners some type of Chinese semi-residency, plus
allow them to employ their boy/girlfriend within the
Chinese company - thus easing UK visa problems by diverting
the visa type to business rather than tourist class
Family
This remains a tricky one - so all we will state here
is that after being married to a Chinese National for
a minimum of 3-years, authorities will usually look
favourably upon the visa application. Evidence does
suggest this is normally a lot shorter period, but it
is all down to your personal circumstances and luck.
Chinese spouse is normally easiest, followed by immediate
family (Restrictions and time criteria apply)
Prior Refusal
You really do need to 'get your head around' what these
diplomats actually said to you to progress. They speak
a specific form of 'legalese' which normal people simply
do not understand. They do use a lot of oblique language
= yes means 'no', no means 'yes', a sigh can indicate
what you should or should not do next time. Therefore
you need to fully understand from their point of view,
why your girlfriends visa was refused, and carefully
recount exactly what they said.
Therefore: If your girlfriends UK visa is refused, and
you re-apply using exactly the same format, the new
application will also be refused. That simple - and
yes, they do check and remember. However, if you interpret
their gobbledygook correctly, and change the application
slightly, you may be successful next time. It is quite
curious, as we have witnessed personally - especially
with UK visa's concerning Nepali Citizens
Summary
For an ordinary Chinese girl or boy to get a UK visa
is extremely difficult - and generally considered nigh-on
impossible. However, given determination, a little thought
and planning + either luck, money, or friends in the
right places; it can usually be accomplished on most
occasions. Expect your first application to be refused,
then work on getting it right next time. The problem
is usually in UK btw, not in China |
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This
information specifically includes personal experiences
of close Western and Chinese friends - and is also as
supplied by the British Consulate in Guangzhou, China;
and the Chinese Embassy in UK, as dated 23rd September
2008, and/or other reliable sources.
Please check this information yourself as it may alter
without notice, and whilst we try our best to ensure
it is correct, please do not hold us responsible for
any errors - this is intended as a simple and general
guide only |
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