Mainland Chinese immigration authorities are standardising their assessment regime for approving residents to settle in Hong Kong and Macau by replacing the previous points-based system with unified criteria, offering applicants more certainty. The National Immigration Administration announced the new criteria on Tuesday and said it would take effect the following day. The current system calculates…
Travel convenience is fundamental to Hong Kong’s integration with the mainland. The need to further enhance travel has become more important under an intensifying drive to accelerate the pace of development within the Greater Bay Area. Thanks to the advances in technology in recent years, visitors can breeze through immigration by simply showing their face…
Hongkongers will be able to use facial recognition at more mainland Chinese checkpoints, while more professionals from additional regions across the border will be granted longer stays in the city under new policies announced by national immigration authorities on Monday. According to the National Immigration Administration, Hong Kong residents with a mainland travel permit will,…
In this undated file photo passengers are seen at Futian Railway Station in Shenzhen, Aug 19, 2025. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY) BEIJING – China is expected to record an average of 2 million daily border crossings during the upcoming eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, authorities said Sunday. According to the National Immigration Administration…
China’s diplomatic missions in the United States have launched a new online visa application system as part of its efforts to boost tourist revenues and people-to-people exchanges. The process previously required at least two in-person visits: first to submit application materials and later to provide biometric information and submit their passports after initial approval. But…
The National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Thursday that foreign nationals made 15.89 million visa-free entries from January to August. The NIA did not give a total for the number of entries during the period but did say that visa-free entries made up roughly two-thirds of international arrivals, suggesting the total was more than 25…
When Marc Guyon, a French national based in Hong Kong, decided to visit Shanghai in early August, the main attraction was not the city’s art deco architecture, but its driverless taxis and hotel delivery robots. “It’s super impressive – China looks futuristic,” he said. “It seems like all expats have the same reaction. Many of…
China’s expanded efforts to encourage visitors continued to pay off in the first half of 2025, with the number of visa-free foreign entries rising by more than half compared to the same period a year earlier. Foreign nationals made 38 million trips in and out of the country, a 30 per cent increase year on…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost…