22nd July 2020 – Foreign Family Member can go back to China! – Shanghai government ease the PU invitation letter policy for foreign family member re-union in Shanghai.
Since the Chinese government announced the “Temporarily Ban Policy” on 28th March 2020, if foreigner wants to come to China now, you need to apply a new visa in the Chinese Consulate/Embassy, only you have a new visa issued after 28th March, then you can enter China. If you want to apply a new visa now, you need to provide a < PU Letter > which issued by the China foreign affair office.
In the past, it’s very difficult to get it. But now, shanghai foreign affair office (Following information is only for Shanghai, we don’t know if it’s the same in the other city) ease the policy of the < PU Letter >, following are 2 big changes:
1. Before it must be a HUGE and NECESSARY economic/trade activities, now they REMOVE the wording of “HUGE and NECESSARY”. It means, with a normal business activities, the company also can apply the < PU Letter > for foreigner. So predictable, the successful rate of the < PU Letter > will increase a lot.
2. Company can apply the < PU Letter > for the foreign family member directly (if the employer is working here in shanghai, but their family member is still apart outside of China). Reason can be (for example, Kids need to study, Wife/Husband needs to take care of each other, etc.). So foreign family member can start to apply for that NOW!
Procedures in detail:
1. Please ask your shanghai company contact the shanghai foreign affairs service center (Tel: 021-22161565), and ask about the <PU invitation letter>, they will give you the contact information of who are taking charge of this things in your company district.
2. Contact the district foreign affairs officer, submit the application what they ask for and wait for approval.
3. After the <PU invitation letter> issued, send it to foreign applicant
4. Foreigners take it to the Chinese Consulate/Embassy to apply the M type of visa.