It is very unfortunate that earlier this year, an expat agency was shut down because of unprofessional and indiscreet practice on the materials of foreigners’ visa applications. Just as the falling of a set of domino, many expats’ visa application were severely affected.
今年年初发生了一件非常不幸的事，一家外事服务机构突然倒闭，因其不专业不严谨的申请材料而被公安机关传唤和调查。如同多米诺骨牌倒下一般，许多该机构代理的外籍人士的签证申请都受到了严重的影响。
To our understanding, if all the materials comply with current policies, authentic and valid and one’s condition to fit the visa criteria, visa application should be a smooth process. Yet, recently, we encountered many cases in which the clients were expected to get a normal visa but in the end get only one month even less time T Visa, namely the immigration office giving them limited time to pack everything and leave the country.
就我们的理解而言，假如签证材料符合要求，且条件匹配签证标准，只要真实有效，申请过程应该很顺利。但是，我们遇到许多情况时，客户期待取得长期的签证，却只能到了一个月甚至更短的停留签证，这意味着移民管理局给出一个期限让你打包收拾准备离境。
This is a devastating situation mostly happen to those who invested in a company and became self-employed in China. Opening one’s company and seeking for legal residency in China is one common strategy used by those who are not qualified for Type A or B visa and cannot find employment which pay enough to qualify other types. It is a sad fact that these years, there are too many this type of empty companies with only a registration, no income, no taxation contribution, no cash flow, some even don’t have an actual office or telephone line to keep in touch with.
这是一个令人绝望的情况，一般发生在那些通过设立公司自我雇佣来获取签证的外籍人士身上。开设公司并以此寻求获取合法停留在中国的签证时一项常见的策略，对于那些不够A或B类签证资质，又无法找到雇主愿意支付他们符合签证规定的薪资的人员。很遗憾的是，近年来，此类空壳公司数量激增，只有一个注册，没有收入，没有税收贡献，没有现金流，有些甚至没有实际办公地点或者可以联系到的固定电话。
Years ago, government organs can be less effective in sharing information. For example, when your company has been declaring no income and zero tax for many years, the immigration office won’t care to find out. Nowadays, with Ningbo government massively accelerating efficiency at its various service windows, and move the process of most administrative activities online with official website, email, official Wechat account. Meanwhile, among those government administration authorities, they can more easily share information. As a matter of fact, for SMEs, several self-report annul check for market regulation and customs had been merged into one system.
多年前，政府职能部分在信息共享上并不有效。例如，当你的公司申报零收入零税收多年的时候，移民管理局可能并不会知晓。如今，随着宁波政府在其各类行政服务窗口大规模提升办事效率，并将大多数办事业务提到线上办理，通过官方网站，邮件，微信公众号等。与此同时，这些政府行政部门能够更好的做到信息共享。事实上，对于中小型企业来说，许多向市场监管部门和海关等自行申报的年检都已经合并到一个平台。
The logic behind the action is simple. For citizens to save time on administration affairs, and to comply with the general policy of the immigration office to tightly control Type B visa, gradually eliminate Type C visa and further encourage type A visa. Simple, those who hold higher level visas shall contribute more to China. For those who opened companies in China, if the companies are truly in business, then the businesses shall generate various recruitment, economics, tax and make a contribution to the country.
这些举措背后的逻辑很简单。一方面为市民节省行政办事的时间，同时符合移民管理局的政策方向，即严格监管B类签证，逐渐清退C类签证，持续鼓励A类签证。简单来说，那些持有高级签证的人员会为中国带来更多的社会贡献。那些通过开设公司在中国停留，加入公司运作正常，那么生意会带来各项人力雇佣，经济促进，税收等对国家做出贡献。
When the immigration policy give out opportunities for those to run their own business to get a valid visa, one should not abuse this chance. For a few years, it is true for those who has not declared any tax or income won’t affect the visa extension as long as the required paperwork is accepted by the immigration office, but now, not anymore.
当移民政策给出机会让那些自我雇佣者能够获得获得在华有效签证的同时，请不要滥用这份特权。过去的一些年，确实那些零申报的公司并不影响其签证，只要相关文件能被移民管理局认可，但是如今，已经不再可行。
If you want to keep the company, whether it to be actual business progress, keep it real and reasonable following the China Law and Policy. Keep it traceable of a normal operation, maybe not that good business income, but some evidence of actual operation.
Check yourself！
? Have you injected any official capital in the company capital bank account?
Have you put any sales revenue in your income statement?
?? Have you paid some expenditure to cover the operation cost and make tax deceleration? Is your financial statement reasonable?
??? Have you paid up the salary to yourself and staff basis on employment contract and paid personal income tax?
For start-ups, it is normal and common to have a rough start with not much movement in financial statement and company bank account. However, it is not acceptable anymore to be staying in China, running a business that declare to the tax bureau of no sale income and zero tax for several years. In fact, after 6 months of zero tax declaration, the company will be on the watch-list of tax bureau and commercial and industrial system. That can be serious!
假如你要留存这家公司，不论是否真的有生意进展，请保证公司运作的真实性，合理合规。保证可追溯到正常的运作状态，不是一定要求很好的收入状态，但是能体现公司在运作的证据。问问自己，你是否给公司的资本金账户注入过资金？是否在利润表中体现过营业收入？是否将运营费用计入成本？你的财务报表是否合理合规？是否对于公司员工实发工资，缴纳个税等；对于初创企业，刚开始经历创业困难时期很正常，但是在中国运营一家连续多年零报税的公司是不能被接受的。事实上，任何连续六个月零申报的企业都会上工商，税务机构的非正常经营名单，这是非常严肃的事情!
● Reindeer Station strongly suggest expats who are entitled of a company to keep it reasonable and traceable. The authorities maybe slow in response, but they always adhere to the rule of authentic and lawful, therefore you don’t want to role the dice. As once it is find out, there is no way back.
灵达商务强烈建议在华投资注册公司的外籍人士保持公司真实运作并可追溯。政府一贯主张投资公司需要真实，合法，合规，但是请不要冒险，因为一旦被发现，无路可退。