Immigration update: China | PU letter is no longer required for work visa and dependent visa applications

Effective immediately, for Chinese work visa (Z visa) and dependent visa (S1 visa) applications, the PU letter is no longer required.

For M visa applications, the PU Letter is still required unless the applicant has been inoculated with Chinese produced COVID-19 vaccines.

Who will be affected?

Foreigners who are entering China for work.

Background

Since March 2020, the PU letter was required when foreigners need to apply for work visa, business travel visa or dependent visa for China. The PU letter applications have been a great challenge for many applicants as it took a long time to get the PU letter, sometimes up to 2-3 months. The PU letter is not issued to dependents separately for a certain period of time which has resulted in long separation of the family and lengthy immigration process.

Recently, a notice from the government authorities in Shanghai notified PU letter applicants, effective from 6th June 2022, the PU Letter will no longer be issued for applicants who need to relocate to China for a work purpose (Z visa applicant) and their accompanying family members (S1 visa applicant).

It has been confirmed by the Chinese embassies in many countries that the applicants can provide the same set of application documents as pre COVID-19 period for visa application for the Chinese work visa (Z visa) and dependent visa (S1 visa) applications without the provision of the PU letter.

Impact

With the cancellation of PU letter requirements, the immigration process prior to entering China will be much shorter and less complicated.

Implementation Date

6th June, 2022

Santa Fe Recommendations

With the containment measures of COVID-19, the Chinese government has now started to put focus on action plans to accelerate economic recovery and revitalization. The strict controls on immigration of foreign employees into China will be gradually lifted in order to provide conveniences for international companies to motivate talent mobilization.

Additionally, although the Chinese government still insists on a dynamic zero clearance policy for COVID-19 containment measures, with the introduction of new epidemic prevention and control measures such as people scanning the site code and showing the nucleic acid negative report sampled within 72 hours when entering any public places. We expect a further lifting on quarantine requirements for inbound travelers in the near future.

If you have questions about China immigration, or how to enter China during COVID-19, please reach out to your local Santa Fe Consultant, and we will be able to advise you further.

Should you have any questions, please contact the following:

Connie Wang
Relocation and Immigration Services Manager 
Santa Fe Relocation
China
D: (86-21) 6233 9700 ext. 247
M: +13585759255
E: connie.wang@santaferelo.com

Robert Day
Group Head of Immigration Operations
Santa Fe Relocation
London, UK
D: +44 7990 021125
E: robert.day@santaferelo.com


To read more immigration updates, click
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About our Immigration Services

Our immigration services manage thousands of visa applications every year for a multitude of international companies. Our experienced immigration experts and migration agents handle the immigration process for you and provide simple reporting and guidance on immigration matters.

 

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