IN BEIJING - MR DANIEL Leong has made Beijing his home over the past four years and was expecting to stay for many more, especially after finding a new job.
But now, the 35-year-old Singaporean is facing a major disruption to his life in the Chinese capital, due to stricter visa rules introduced earlier this year as part of security measures for the Beijing Olympics.
Today, Mr Leong's six- month business visa expires and he must leave the city, only six months after starting his new job as an operations director at a Russian company.
He will board an 11.30pm flight to Singapore, uncertain when he will be able to return and if he will have a job waiting.
In March, Beijing abruptly tightened visa rules, making it difficult for foreigners to enter or remain in China. Fewer tourist visas were approved, and fewer renewals for F visas - a temporary business visa valid for a maximum of six months - were granted.
Singapore's visa waiver programme with China was also suspended from July 1.
Foreign residents, many of whom hold an F business visa, were caught off guard.
Those who have tried to obtain a visa in recent months complain about the confusing array of documents required and longer processing time.
Some found out that the new rules - details of which have never been officially spelt out - required them to apply for visa renewals in their home countries.
Thousands of foreigners have been forced to leave China in recent months, leaving behind jobs and investments. Foreign companies have also been affected.
Mr Leong is hoping that his visa application back home will be successful. But if he fails, the earliest he might be able to re-enter China would be in late September.
But his employer, an information technology company specialising in three-dimensional maps, is not keen to wait that long.
'It's stressful. If I lose my job, it will be a huge financial strain as it could be some time before I can find a new one,' said Mr Leong, who currently earns about 20,000 yuan (S$4,000) a month. He is a bachelor and supports his 60-year-old mother in Singapore.
Singaporean entrepreneur Louis Wai must also leave China when his business visa expires later this month. He, too, may be unable to return until late September.
The delay will be costly. Mr Wai, 38, is starting up a medical research laboratory in Shanghai and may not be around when it starts operations in the middle of next month.
'This is a crucial period for the firm, and I might not be here,' he sighed. His Chinese partner may have to oversee things alone.
Sources said China is clamping down on business visas from now until after the Aug 8 to 24 Olympics and the Paralympics, which end on Sept 17.
Visa restrictions are just one of the many unforeseen side effects of tightened security for the two events.
Restrictions on the types of vehicles heading into Beijing from elsewhere, for example, are forcing Singaporean businessman Andrew Loo to shut his factory and give all his 280 workers a two-month 'break' in August and September.
Mr Loo, 60, whose company makes insulation boards, said: 'I can't get raw materials in; I can't get products out. Clients in China and abroad can't complete their projects. What a headache.'
He is so worn out by the hassle that he has given his coveted ticket to the Olympics opening ceremony to a friend.
'It is just too troublesome. I'd rather watch it on television,' he said.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 16, 2008.
