White Paper | China: Status of Immigration During the Coronavirus Outbreak

February 8, 2020


The outbreak of the coronavirus starting in Wuhan, China is significantly affecting individuals, businesses, travel, supply chains, and financial markets. Our team in China has prepared the following update detailing the outbreak’s impact on visas and immigration for business to and from China.  

Across the Major Provinces

Most immigration offices throughout China have resumed limited visa and immigration processing as of Feb 4, 2020. Wuhan authorities are scheduled to resume work on February 14. Foreign nationals who are unable to exit China or to extend their visa, stay or residence permits due to these interruptions will be subject only to lighter (or exempted from) late penalties from the authorities depending upon specific circumstances.

In Shanghai, foreign nationals whose visas/stays/residence permits/passports expired within the past 10 days – including those whose employment in China ended – may visit the local immigration authorities to file their visa, stay, or residence permit extensions immediately after February 10.

All physical submissions of paper documents related to work permit renewals and cancellations in Shanghai have been suspended until further notice. Instead, these applications should be processed online only – with a commitment letter provided by the Chinese employer for this period. The commitment letter should confirm the authenticity and validity of the online submission, and original documents should be retained for future confirmation. A similar online process has been adopted in other regions in China, including Beijing, Zhe Jiang, and Guangdong.

Read the entire white paper by clicking the link below. Need more information? Please contact us.