Indian-Chinese Marriage

jow

Thanks people for the response.

It took some time for us (me and my wife) to prepare ourselves professionally (career wise) and emotionally to think about India option and my wife sought of agrees to go to India ...however if she read all these responses I am afraid that my plan to return to India may go in the cold bag again...

1) Professionally we are compromising because science research facilities, no doubt are better here in US
2) Average life standard… again relatively things are better of here

The three things that why we are considering India (*for India points*)

1) Even after having the academic qualifications and scientific excellence record, work visa, US immigration policies and never ending line of Green card in US is just too much if one has to deal with…((a) till we get a green card ….especially for Chinese citizens H-1B work visa entry is limited to one time in three month i.e. every time my wife leave the country she has to do all the drama of applying for a visa again to reenter and a concern whether she will be able to come back on time or not….(b) any time I change job I have to make sure that my work-visa status remain, I get 30 days to leave a job and accept and join a new one….(c) if one company apply for Green card for me for unsaid reasons I am bounded labor with that company till I get residency) More than anything everyday uncertainty whether any professional move of mine will keep me in the job or not which directly related to my stay in US
2) The unfulfilled need of social life and issue that I will be close to my family in India
3) I personally feel very passionate and I am very bullish of India all the time (compare to she think about China) and I feel that I want to be part of changing India rather than a spectator

But the dilemma

• If I need to struggle for the visa and residency related issue again for my wife and son in India then first of three *for India points* is gone.
• The third *for India point* ; normally my family and friends think I am too emotional and life & career should be considered more practically; and hence the third point becomes weak….so with one single point I am finding it hard to really decide especially after reading the disappointing situation Ashok and other brothers and sisters are facing who married to a Chinese national

One of the hopes is that my wife can apply and may get the international visiting scientist/scholar kind of position with Indian Institute of Science. In this regard I would appreciate comments from the members that what is a better option for my wife
a) to get this kind of visiting scholar or job offer from private companies and then enter India OR
b) enter India as my wife and then accept such jobs …..

Is there something called ‘Work Permit’ for foreign nationals in India (not forgetting and hopefully such work permit does not bar Chinese citizens)?

Again a long post….I know I am frustrated but I appreciate that you guys are reading it all the way down here and willing to share your understanding and experiences.

Thanks.

Nick-H

DW... I would appreciate sources for your assertion that any spouse of an Indian citizen can live and work here, or if it is the case of official turning of the blind eye?

There must be many, many foreign spouses of Indian origin here in India, and I wonder if, in their cases, an employer won't just assume they are Indian citizens? Given that many millions of Indian citizens have no documentary proof of their status (they may well not even have had their births registered), it must be fairly easy for someone who looks and talks the part to slip into a presumption of "Indian-ness", in a way that would not be possible for a conspicuous Brit such as myself or Chinese such as Mrs Jow. Having said that, I would have thought that educational certificates would be expected for all but menial jobs.

Remember that I am one of those spouses of a resident Indian citizen, and if I had the rights of which you speak, it's news to me!

Even changing my visa status from Tourist to Entry ('X') was made so damned difficult for me in India that I effectively had to return to UK to get an X visa. I was going anyway.

On the Residents Permit itself are the words Change of Employer/Institution NOT permitted without prior authorisation of this office [NOT APPLICABLE for PIO card holders] (their caps).

Getting the residents permit was not easy either: the story of myself, my wife and the director of the Immigration Bureau has been told too many times.

However... I have never sought to work here.

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Dilliwala

a) is probably more difficult to arrange (the job), but maybe a smoother ride with the employment visa.
b) is easier for entry but with the Chinese nationality I'm not sure how long it will take for everything.

There are plenty of Chinese software engineers working in Bangalore, obviously on jobs they got before entering. Also, take heart from Wen Jiabao's statements in the last 2 days, relations are easing up so we hope better things are in store.

Come to Delhi and I'll introduce them to u. All perfectly legit - these are people who have been here for 30 years and more, and some are tax-payers with PANs and everything. I'm talking of foreign spouses of foreign origin - they look as foreign in salwar/kurta/pyjama as u do in a veshti, and a non-desi accent to boot, so no question of fooling the authorities, not decade after decade.

I have a feeling that if it's different in Chennai then we are back to the old story of local bosses making their own rules again.
Nevertheless, since this issue has come up again, I'll do IM the service of going into the FRRO the next time I'm in that area and get the official view of how this happens. But it won't be in a hurry - it's not on my normal route from anywhere to anywhere.

I can say with conviction that none of the people I know have ever had to leave India to get a new employment visa when they changed jobs.
I'll also suggest if poss for u to ask around if anyone knows any foreign spouses who are working in consulates or cultural centres (like MMB, British Council, USIS) on local contracts - these tend to be the hang-outs of such spouses. In Delhi there's the added benefit of embassies aplenty. Then u cud get first-person accounts of how it's done in Chennai (if indeed there's a different procedure being followed).

Nick-H

I'd be very glad of that. We can all see and quote the various published sources provided by MHA/Ministry of Home Affairs. The practice is not necessarily the same.

nycank

jow - If you take a scientific research position in Kolkatta/Cal your wife can probably blend at an institute of research in CCU. There are many indians of chinese ethnicity (multi generation) so it is not too uncommon.

... just a thought.....

jow

Thanks nycank,

I will keep CCU option in mind. For time being I have asked the company in Bangalore to look for an alternative candidate...where I was supposed to join.

I know, unless I reach India nothing will work out but at the same time, I don't want to leave my present position for virtually chaotic visa and immigration scene. So the temporary goals what I have set

a) Figure out clear details of visa issue by driving myself to Chicago Indian consulate
b) Ask my relatives in Bangalore and Delhi to personally enquire the situation and if possible take information in writing from GOI offices (I hope this is possible under Right to Information act)
c) When things start looking in favor, first get the immigration papers for the family and then make a final move

Will keep the forum updated...

I was just wondering if people in this bulletin board and all other Indians who married to a Chinese (foreign) national would like to file an online petition seeking assistance from GOI for a clear cut and uniform policy.

We can start with online petitio.....based on the response and number of signatures we can take the matter to GOI and see what assistance (response) we receive from them. I believe Indiamike would be the best place to start... for looking more Indo-Sino couples.

My 2.1 cents

machadinha

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

jow

Thanks. I understand and I am not asking favor from IndiaMike to support the campagain but asking other people those who are facing the same situation and are here on IndiaMike sharing their experiences.

This is one of the best India travel forum and I would like to see it that way only.

srisri

Hi Zahid and Jow:

Hope everything is going well!

I am a Chinese and my boyfriend is an Indian. I have been working in India for more than two years. (but we havnt married, as his family is still not willing accept me as a foreigner, so we are trying...waiting...)

Anyways, I got my employment visa in China (Shanghai). Apart from certain standard documents like passport, qualification, etc., you are required to submit Employment offer letter, Terms and Conditions, a letter from the employer stating why the position has to be offered to a Chinese instead of any Indian. I applied in the year of 2005, it took me almost 6 months to get the visa. However, recently I heard that there is a new policy, Indian consulate will issue employment visa within 10 days. Hope it is so.

Once you acquire the employment visa, which will be valid for only 3 months, you have to enter india, go to Delhi and extend the employment visa at Minister of Foreign affair.

Then when you get your long term employment visa, you need to go to local commission office and apply for a residence permit. And you are done!

For extension of employment visa, you can do it at your local commissioner office,normally extension is only for one year, but if the spouse is indian, it can be extended to five years, the commissioner officer in bangalore told me so.

The problem with this employment visa is that you can not change your employer freely. If you want to do so, a petition has to be made to Delhi Minister of Foreign affair.

A friend of mine, who is also a chinese married indian, she is on Dependant visa. Recently she got a job here in bangalore, now she has to go back and apply for an employment visa. she has told me that local recruitment agent states it is possible to change a dependant visa to employment visa in India. However we are not sure.

Anyways...wish you and your wife good luck...if you guys come to bangalore, i can recommend some good chinese restaurant...

Feel free to contact me, i will try my best to help you!

jow

Thanks srisri. That's very encouraging. My wife is in China… will come back after New Year. After that I will let her read your comments. She is always skeptical whether she will be able to get Chinese friends, grocery, restaurants etc in Bangalore.

NKsingh

I live in beijing for more then 1year.I married with my chinese wife as soon as I reach here and i extended my visa. Extended of visa here is not a problem if u married with chinese. Till now I hasnt face any problem because I didnt go back home. Moreover I planed to live here in beijing because of my career. I hasnt inform about my marriage to embassy till now. anybody please tell me what problem that I may meet in the future?

xiao_yunxi

hi zahid,how is everything going now?
by the way where is your couple now?are you in india?
i am yunxi from mumbai,my husband is also an indian,we married two years ago and living here in india.happy to see so many chindia couple here.and wanna be friend with your wife,if possible ask her to mail me,xiao_yunxi@yahoo.com

best wishes!!!

wish your couple happy life in beijing!enjoy!!!

hi jow,is your couple in banglore or in china now?i am also a chinese girl who married with an indian,now we are mumbai.
here in mumbai i already found three chindia couples,also nice to know you.if she is in india,ask her to connect with me.