My wife is Chinese.

Changing Regs - - Changing Personnel - - Changes!!

We have never had "too much trouble" getting visa/ Residence Permit in the end after various paperwork hassles.

Our key has always seemed to be having a friend with us with "mucho GuanXi" with Police (even though my wife is Chinese).

Perhaps someone with "connections" will set up a consulting firm to assist in these visas (maybe they have already)!!

Just my thoughts - - Cheers - - JJ

@gingernut

I'd just realized I misread your previous post. It was YOU that the PSB equated to a Vietnamese wife. =D

At any rate, I'm pretty sure according to the regulations, you qualify for a Q1. Just because they issued Q2s to Vietnamese wives doesn't mean a European/American husband only qualify for a Q2 as well ;)

Cheers~

@JJ and Janice

I am retired, but the local plods are very suspicious of my retired status and think I'm working illegally. I'm sure they have been in touch with my wife's hukou, where I renew my visa, and have arranged to make my stay here difficult and inconvenient.

Maybe that's why they only give me a 6 month visa...

If any foreigner who is married to a Chinese woman gets a new visa here in Kunming please let us all know how the process goes. Gingernut is giving us an example of a negative experience. I hope to hear from those who had a positive experience. Positive meaning - a 1 year visa or 1 year residence permit as we have been getting for the last 2 years. I am not due for renewal until May 2014 so I hope we can get some new current info.

they suspect you of working illegally for absolutely no reason whatsoever? did you have a nervous twitch when they were questioning you?

@HFCAMPO, my resident permit expires in 2 weeks so going into Kunming office tomorrow to see if they will renew it. Also want to have them tell me what i need to bring and i will let everyone know the outcome.

Tallamerican - thanks a lot for your reply. We are all eagerly waiting to hear from you after the entire process is complete and you have a new visa in hand. Good Luck.

Went in today to ask for a Q2 visa (I'm not married, but my Chinese girlfriend wrote me an invitation letter) The guy seemed pretty cool with that and her hukou photocopies, but then said that they can't give a Q2 visa inside the country. Outside no problem, he says. This is bullshit no?

Anyway, I asked for a tourist extension and that's all good, but the new rule about applying for extensions 7 days before it ends doesn't seem to apply in Kunming. They told me to come back when my current one finishes not to lose days.

@Magnifico

I asked them why they thought I was working illegally, and the reply was that they couldn't understand why I have been living in the same apartment for three years if I wasn't working... Interesting logic, I thought.