Effective September 28, 2020, The People’s Republic of China, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Immigration Administration, announced that foreign nationals with valid residence permits issued for work, personal matters, or family reunions, will be allowed to enter China without needing to apply for a new visa. Chinese consulates and embassies will be renewing said visas if they have expired after March 28, 2020 provided that the purpose of the foreign national’s visit to China remains unchanged.

This measure is specifically targeting the temporary suspension of entry by foreign nationals holding valid Chinese visas or residence permits issued on March 26, 2020. The partial lifting of the travel ban could signal the start of a different enforcement attitude and a trend towards immigration “normalization” in China.

Graham Adair is closely monitoring all global immigration trends and providing updates as they are received. Please contact your Graham Adair attorney with any case-specific questions.