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http://www.visainchina.com/familyvisa.htm
This should tell you what you need to know including eligibility but it doesn’t look as if you would get one unless you are talking foster care and even then you might not be a close enough relation unless you have been appointed by a court as a guardian (just guessing here).
A student visa might be another option for an extended stay. Once again you will not be eligible to take paid work. That’s not to say that it isn’t easy to get work but if you are caught then they fines can hurt and it may result in repatriation or even imprisonment.
There is a residence visa for 3 years that has unlimited entry/exit as standard for family members. You would need to prove the relationship with appropriate documents such as a wedding certificate or birth certificate. You would probably need to demonstrate age or infirmity of the relative in question if not your spouse. Start with a visitor’s visa and upgrade to the family residence permit at the PSB bordering Tianfu Sq a couple of weeks before your visa expires. You will need a health examination from a designated hospital in Chengdu to be qualified. A residence permit does not automatically entitle you to work here.
My wife also received a call this week to confirm if I was still a resident at our address. No big deal as I am registered and have an up to date 3 year residence visa but useful to know that the PSB and the local police station where I am registered take the issue of foreigners resident in China seriously. The last time she got a call was 48 hours after a visa expired while the renewal was still being processed by the PSB – they don’t waste time if you disappear from their radar.
What I am finding is that officialdom, and in that I include banks, are about as flexible as a steel girder round here. I can understand that it’s not listed in their job description but you would think that after 40 years of being with the same bank including 10 years in China with the group that they would be only too pleased since they list witnessing customer’s signatures and verification of true copies as a free service.
Yes, I have a dentist that I use on my list but I am not hopeful. Initially people say “no problem” but then meet a brick wall when they check with the boss. In the UK they would just hit you with a fee to sign a document of this nature.
What I find strange though is that the Pensions department list an official stamp in their list of requirements, however, they will accept someone who is retired and could not possibly use a official stamp. On that basis I suspect that the official stamp cannot be made compulsory and will have to go with that option if all else fails as I probably have a better chance of drumming up a respectable individual in Chengdu if I call in the guanxi.
Spouse visas (residence permits) are for those who are married to a Chinese national and are registered residents here. The concept is that they are intended for the purpose of visiting a Chinese relative. The internet can be a struggle at certain times of the year if you are going to rely on a VPN because some get over publicised in forums and end up being blocked for a few weeks. Yes you can transfer funds from the USA to a limit of 50,000 US$ p.a.(last time I looked) per person with a bank account here. Exceptions may be made if you are buying a property or funding a business as opposed to money laundering. I have used the HSBC in the UK to transfer funds to China over the last 10 years without problems and can do so just by pushing buttons on the internet. My address on the account is my home address in Chengdu. Establishing a bank account here is possible but internet banking appears to rely on software being installed on your PC and being able to read Chinese. Getting a debit card is also possible but credit cards are not available to foreigners so bring your own if you need to make international payments. I have had no problems with ATMs in China in branches of the HSBC but you will have a daily limit of about 2000 rmb at a guess. Can’t comment on the education of foreign children. Healthcare is another issue you should investigate. The postal service for packages and parcels from overseas is no longer reliable unless you use a courier.
There is a VERY large women’s and children’s hospital to the west of the no 3 ring road that I gather is generally considered the place to go by the Chinese (my stepdaughter went there for a C-section and had no complaints – 2 patients to a room). It’s the no 1 maternity hospital for Chengdu so shouldn’t be difficult to locate.
I would tread with caution as far as “private” hospitals are concerned as they may be more motivated by the potential profit and “international” hospitals (clinics) may not be blessed with the same levels of expertise and equipment that is available in the 1st tier hospitals who charge a fraction of the price. While you might find that the smaller hospitals are less crowded, in my experience English speaking Chinese doctors are not uncommon.
Working without an appropriate work permit and visa can lead to punitive fines, imprisonment and deportation as has happened to an acquaintance of mine recently.
@ Charlie – my wife supplied the information – she routinely uses Huaxi hospital for annual check-ups including a spectrum of blood tests, ultra sound and urine tests. Ad-hoc X-rays and C-T scans have also been commissioned there. She has been known to use our local clinic as well, which I prefer as it is more modern, smaller and not overcrowded, but like most people from Sichuan (and she is a doctor) she places great faith in the professionalism of Huaxi and the clinic’s services are understandably limited. If you need to know more then let me know and I’ll pm a phone number. She can speak English but your Chinese would probably speed up the understanding.
I have just been informed that it costs from 30 rmb for each sample that they test at Huaxi Hospital. So a test for glucose would cost about 30 rmb and an additional test for say cholesterol would cost a further 30 rmb. But prices vary according to the test and some could be as much as 100 rmb.
At the Huaxi it pays to have an interpreter to navigate through the crowds and the procedures. Your best bet may be to locate a local clinic where it is typically more civilised. Prices and turn-round (24 hrs) are probably about the same. You would almost certainly be required to eat and drink nothing between waking up and getting the blood test. It is best to pay for the test(s) a day or more before your test if Huaxi hospital and to arrive by about 8.30 am to join one of the many queues. Don’t forget to take the stick backed label AND the receipt. With a local clinic you should be able to have a bood test within 5 minutes of having paid and don’t need to get up at the crack of dawn although by 10.00 am is probably wise.
Track down your local sorting office (for deliveries). However, from experience unless the post item was despatched in China they wont have a record of it so the best they did for me was to confirm that the postal address was valid.
I have long since given up on the Chinese mail as the only communications that arrive are not those I have solicited. This applies to both letters, packets and parcels including track and trace and registered. They seem to get as far as Shanghai and then disappear. I use a courier if it is important – perhaps those fly direct to Chengdu.
I would suggest looking at the pictures on Taobao to see if you can identify the device. However, it doesn’t help that some of the models are describing themselves as carbon monoxide smoke alarm which is either a bad description or a dual purpose device. But I suspect that if it says carbon monoxide it is detecting it rather than being a smoke alarm. Maybe look at e.Bay descriptions. From past experience with smoke alarms is that they go off at the mere hint of toast and the last place you want one is in the kitchen. One way to find out I guess and that’s to set light to a piece of paper near it….
@ turtle – I guess it depends on how well your balcony is sealed from the house and whether you have glass storm shutters fitted that reduce the ventilation on your balcony. But from what you have said I would think you are fairly safe from carbon monoxide but I would get your gas leak sorted in the kitchen asap as a potential build-up of gas could lead to an explosion.
Personally I plan to install a carbon-monoxide detector and a fire alarm just to be on the safe side.
Apparently it was a new apartment so presumably a new gas boiler which was judged faulty. I suspect that insufficient ventilation could have been a contributing factor.
Carbon Monoxide detectors and portable meters are available on Taobao from about 75 rmb including delivery.
If you are getting restaurant deals that don’t involve party bookings then the restaurant may not be getting enough customers. So check out the new restaurants being launched rather than established restaurants that have lost their customers for good reasons.
Perhaps it is missing foreigners that could populate the establishments and events that you are looking for Charlie. I am sure that there used to be more of them both here and in the city – virtually everybody who I knew has gone back home.
But the air has been better for the last few days (or the air filters are lying to me) and I saw a ‘very faint star last night.
