Chinese Visa Application Process Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce Step by Step Procedure for Chinese Visa Application: 1. The deadline for all registrations and full payments to be received by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce is December 15, 2017. The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will send all registrations and payments to Citslinc International, our partner organization, by December 31, 2017. 2. During the month of January 2018, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will contact all registrants to forward a Photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce via email to Michele Geres at
[email protected], fax to (306)781-7084 or mail to 1630-1920 Broad Street, Regina, SK S4P 3V2. This information is required for Citslinc to complete the Letter of Invitation. During this time, it is also recommended that all registrants start gathering all required documents for the upcoming visa application process. Required documents are as follows: - Photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page - Valid passport - Photo - Visa Application form - Application documents as required (*special cases only*) - Credit Card Payment Authorization form including Terms and Conditions of Service - List of the Required Documents for Postal Application form Note: The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will make all postal arrangements for the visa application packages to be sent from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to the Chinese Embassy in Calgary. 3. At the beginning of February 2018, Citslinc International will send a Letter of Invitation package to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. This Letter of Invitation is a requirement to enter China and will be included with your visa application package when it is sent to the Chinese Embassy in Calgary. Note: The Visa Application form cannot be fully completed until the Letter of Invitation is received as it contains itinerary details necessary to complete this form. 4. Once the Letter of Invitation package arrives, registrants will be contacted immediately to complete all required documents and send their visa application package to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, 1630-1920 Broad Street, Regina, SK S4P 3V2. The approximate deadline to receive all visa application packages is February 15, 2018.
5. After visa application packages have been received from all registrants, the visa application packages will be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Calgary by Canada Post XpressPost. Note: The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will make all postal arrangements for the visa application packages to be sent from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to the Chinese Embassy in Calgary. 6. The Chinese embassy will process each application and apply the visa directly into each passport. This visa is valid for as long as the passport is valid, up to a maximum of 10 years. 7. Payment will be processed when the passport and related documents are ready to be returned. Cash is NOT acceptable for a postal application. Please complete the Credit Card Payment Authorization form and include it in the visa application package. The fee will be deducted from the credit card according to the actual amount. This amount is expected to be $158.80 (see Schedule of Visa Fees). A receipt will be included in the passport package. 8. The visa application process time is expected to be 10-14 business days. The embassy will then return all documents to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce by Canada Post XpressPost. 9. Once received, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will notify registrants that their visa has been processed and that their passports and related documents will be returned via mail or in-person pick-up. The visa process is expected to be completed by March 15, 2018. 10. As soon as you receive your passport, please carefully CHECK the particulars on your visa, such as your name, birth date, passport number, validity, number of entries, and duration of stay. Contact the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce immediately at (306)352-2671 if there are any problems. 11. You’re ready to go to China!
The following documents can be found at the end of this document: - Visa Application form - Credit Card Payment Authorization form including Terms and Conditions of Service - List of the Required Documents for Postal Application form - Schedule of Visa Fees - Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application
Chinese Visa Application Service Centre – Step by Step Guidance: The following information has been taken directly from the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre. Please visit https://www.visaforchina.org/YYC_EN/ for more information. 1. Basic Documents (1) Passport Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity, with blank visa pages, and a photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page, if it is separate. (2) Visa Application form and Photo One completed Visa Application form with a recently-taken colour passport photo (bare-head, full face) against a white background (no shadow in background, size: 48mm x 33mm) attached. There are two ways to prepare your application form: Note: A handwritten application form will not be accepted. The Consulate-General will not accept application forms completed by hand from April 1st, 2013 forward. 1. You can download the application form from the website: http://www.visaforchina.org/YYC_EN/generalinformation/downloads/266886.shtml Fill it out by computer (If you cannot fill in the form, you may need to download or update the Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can find from the "DOWNLOAD" section on the home page ), print out the application form and sign it. (As you cannot save the information, please print the form right after you fill it out.) 2. You can use the online system to complete an Online Application Form: http://www.visaforchina.org/YYC_EN/System/266896.shtml Print it out and sign it. Please notice that if you choose "married" on the column 1.22, please put down the information of your SPOUSE on the following column 1.23. For postal service, the processing time is usually 10 working days if all required documents are included. There is no express or rush service for postal applications, please choose "no" on the column 2.3.
(3) Proof of legal status (applicable for those applying for the visa that are not in their country of citizenship). If you are applying for a visa but not in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid certificates of residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal stay provided by the relevant authorities of the country where the Visa Centre is located. The consular office will decide on the period of validity, duration of stay and number of entries according to your documents. (4) Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas (applicable for those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship). If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide the last original Chinese passport and a photocopy of its data page. If you have obtained Chinese visas before and apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should present the photocopy of the previous passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page (if your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide an official document of name change). (5) A child of Chinese origin, born in Canada, applying for a Chinese visa for the first time is required to provide: 1. Birth certificate 2. Both his or her parents' Canadian legal status when the child is born. (Canadian passports or permanent residence cards and Chinese passports etc.) 2. Supporting documents One of the following documents showing the itinerary: 1. Air ticket booking record (round trip) and proof of a hotel reservation 2. Air ticket booking record (round trip) and formal itinerary provided by a travel agency (including hotel information) 3. Air ticket booking record (round trip) and Chinese house ownership certificate 4. Invitation letter provided by a company or organization from China (only "INVITATION LETTER FOR TOURIST" by some specified companies or organizations is accepted). 5. Invitation letter provided by a foreigner who is residing in China and a photocopy of the inviting party’s passport and residence permit. The final decision will be made by the consulate-general according to the documents the applicants can provide.
3. Special notes (1) The invitation letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout, but the consular officer may require the applicant to submit the original of the invitation letter. An issuer of invitation letter who is an individual in China should also provide a photocopy of his/her Chinese ID. The Invitation letter shall be in Chinese, otherwise, Chinese translation is requested. (2) If necessary, the consular officer may require the applicant to provide other proof documents or supplementary materials, or require an interview with the applicant. (3) The consular officer will decide on whether or not to issue the visa and they will make the final decision on its validity, duration of stay and number of entries in light of specific conditions of the applicant.
Frequently Asked Questions 1. Who can apply by post? You can submit the application yourself or authorize a third party to do so. (1) The Visa Centre accepts visa applications from Canadian citizens or citizens of other countries staying in Canada with appropriate legal status. However, we cannot accept the application if you are not physically in Canada when your application is being submitted. If you currently are not in the country in which this Visa Centre is located, please apply from where you normally reside, or apply after you return to the country. Application acceptance is ONLY available to people lawfully residing in the country in which this Visa Centre is located. (2) The Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General have their own jurisdictional areas formally known as consular districts. Only those who reside within a particular consular district of the Chinese consulategeneral in Calgary can apply through this Visa Centre. 2. How far in advance should I submit my application? You should make your application well in advance of the planned travel date. The suggested period is ONE month in advance, but no earlier than THREE months. Application by post takes longer than applications submitted at the Visa Centre. The express or rush service facility is not available for a postal application. Please choose "no" on the column 2.3 for the processing time. Please always bear in mind that the processing time of a postal application begins when the Visa Centre receives all the required documents in support of the application to the time your passport is ready to be posted back to you. Any time that might elapse while the Visa Centre is waiting for any supplementary documents it might require is not included in the processing time. In addition, you should be aware that the processing time might be longer than normal in certain circumstances. The Visa Center staff will notify you of any such delay.
3. How should I post my application to the Visa Centre? When you post your application, please use CANADA POST XPRESSPOST service. The Visa Centre is not liable for any loss or damage of your passport and/or your documents in post. Please make note of the tracking number of your package so that you can check its status from the Canada Post website. Please note the Visa Centre will NOT accept postal applications forwarded by any third party. Please notice that you also need to provide us a pre-addressed return envelope (CANADA POST XPRESSPOST only). The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will send your passport and receipt back after you application is processed. Please make note of the tracking number of your return envelope as well. The Visa Centre's mailing address: PO BOX 21019 DOMINION 665 8th Street SW Calgary, AB T2P 4H5 Please fill out List of the Required Documents for Postal Application and make sure that you have included all the required documents before forwarding your application to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce as the absence of any one of them may delay the process. Note: The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will make all postal arrangements for the visa application packages to be sent from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to the Chinese Embassy in Calgary. It is important to make sure that the Visa Centre staff can reach you through the contact information such as mobile number, email address which you give in the application. The Visa Centre staff will contact you in case it is necessary. 4. What will happen if I do not include all required documents? The Visa Centre staff will contact you and inform you when you fail to provide all required documents or when the Chinese Embassy or the Consulate General requires you to supply more documents. Your application will be held during this waiting period when you provide more documents. The time that elapses during this process is not included in the processing time of postal application. In case you fail to provide all required documents, or the Chinese Embassy or the Consulate General requires you to supply additional documentation, and the Visa Centre cannot get in touch with you, your documents will be posted back to you after a maximum waiting period of 10 working days. 5. Can I visit the Visa Centre to collect my postal application? Once you post your application to the Visa Centre, it will be handled as a postal application. Your passport will be posted back to you; you cannot collect your passport by visiting the Visa Centre. 6. Can I cancel my application after submitting it? The application process involves sophisticated procedures so that it is not possible for the Visa Centre to pull a single application out of the ongoing process involving many other applications. Therefore you
cannot cancel your application and withdraw it once you have submitted it. You are still required to pay the visa fee and service fee accordingly. 7. Can I track the status of my application? The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre provides a 24-hour online facility to track the status of your application. You can easily find this page from Quick Access on the homepage of the Visa Centre’s website. It is strongly suggested that you begin tracking your passport status on the website several days after you have posted your application. It takes the Visa Centre a couple of days to handle your application and enter the data into the tracking system. If you cannot ascertain the status on the website within a reasonable period after you posted your package, please contact the Visa Centre directly. 8. How do I pay if I apply through postal application? You will make payment when your passport is ready to be returned to you. Cash is NOT acceptable for a postal application. For making payment please refer to the next step. 9. How to make payment? You make the payment when the passport is ready to be returned to you. Fees to be paid include: - Visa fee collected on behalf of the Chinese Embassy/Consulate-General - Service fee charged by the Centre Cash is NOT acceptable for a postal application. You can make your payment by credit card. Please fill in the Credit Card Payment Authorization Form and include it in your application package posted to the Centre. Your fee will be deducted from your credit card according to the actual amount. A receipt will be included in the passport package posted back to you. 10. How to get my passport back? You are requested to provide a prepaid self-addressed CANADA POST XPRESSPOST envelope in the package that you post to the Visa Centre. Note: The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will make all postal arrangements for the visa application packages to be sent from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to the Chinese Embassy in Calgary. 11. How to track the returning package with my passport? It is suggested that you make note of the tracking number of your prepaid self-addressed envelope, so that you can track the returning package. You can track your package with CANADA POST, the Visa Centre is not liable for any delay, loss or damage of your passport and/or your documents during transit. 12. What should I do when I receive my passport? As soon as you receive the passport, please carefully CHECK the particulars on your visa, such as your name, birth date, passport number, validity, number of entries, and duration of stay. Let the Visa Centre staff know immediately if there is any problem.
