Why this guide exists
The English site covers five global routes — Greece, Portugal, Hong Kong, the UAE and the United States — and not the forty outbound products listed on the Chinese site. That is deliberate: those products are built for Chinese families leaving China. An English-speaking family moving to China, or holding China plus a second base, asks a different question: which status does each member need, and what happens when the principal applicant’s job changes?
This guide is the decision framework behind the residency planning service. It explains the order in which the questions should be answered, where families get stuck, and when a second residency is worth the cost.
Start with the family, not the job title
A China move is usually described as one person’s assignment. In practice it creates four or five separate immigration files. Before comparing routes, answer these questions for every member of the household:
- Who will work in China? That person needs the work route, and their employer’s eligibility is part of the application.
- Who is studying? A child on a dependant permit and a young adult on a student visa are in different systems with different work rights.
- Who needs to travel in and out frequently? Entry frequency affects which permit and which visa category make sense.
- Who may need to leave China permanently? A spouse who gave up a career to relocate may need a route that survives a change in the principal’s employment.
The answers determine the structure. Starting from the job title — “we are moving for a general manager role” — hides the dependant, schooling and tax questions until they become urgent.
The China routes, in order of durability
| Route | Who it covers | First step | Typical duration | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work | Principal applicant with a China employer | Work permit notification, then Z visa | One to three years, renewable | Work-type residence permit; permanent residence after four qualifying years |
| Study | Student enrolled in a Chinese institution | X1 for over 180 days, X2 for shorter courses | Course length | Residence permit; work only with approval |
| Dependant | Spouse, children under 18, and parents of a foreign worker or student | S1 for over 180 days, S2 for up to 180 days | Tied to the principal’s permit | Private-affairs residence permit; no automatic work right |
| Permanent residence | Long-term residents who qualify | Five-Star Card application | Ten-year card | Indefinite status, subject to a residence condition |
The order matters. Dependant status derives from the principal’s status, so a dependant application filed before the work permit is issued usually stalls, and permanent residence is assessed on years of qualifying residence — the route chosen at the start determines whether they count.
The dependant question: who may stay, and who may work
S1 and S2 are the two dependant categories for family members of foreigners working or studying in China. S1 covers the spouse, parents, parents-in-law and children under 18 of a foreign national working or studying in China, for stays over 180 days; after entry it is exchanged for a private-affairs residence permit. S2 covers shorter family visits, medical treatment, litigation and inheritance, for up to 180 days.
Three practical points decide whether the family actually settles:
- Dependant status is not a work right. A spouse who wants to work needs an employer and a work permit; companies sometimes assume the permit is enough, and the mistake surfaces at an inspection or tax filing.
- Documents are the bottleneck. Marriage and birth certificates need apostille or consular legalisation, a Chinese translation and often a verification step, plus the principal’s residence permit, invitation letter and accommodation registration.
- School admission runs on its own calendar. International schools generally require a foreign passport and a residence permit, and some an interview; public-school places depend on the district, housing documents and local policy.
For families where one parent holds Chinese nationality or permanent residence, the Q1 and Q2 categories apply instead. The logic is similar, but the document chain and the sponsor’s obligations differ.
Tax and presence: the 183-day line
Immigration status and tax status are separate tests. Living in China for 183 days or more in a calendar year generally makes you a tax resident for that year, which brings China-source income and, depending on domicile, potentially wider income into scope. Foreign nationals without a domicile in China have additional protection under the six-year rule, reset by a sufficiently long absence, but the conditions are technical and errors are retrospective.
Permanent residence has a presence condition of its own: the general rule is at least three months a year in China, or one year in five, unless an exception is approved. A ten-year card does not mean ten years of unrestricted absence.
For a family, the practical question is not only “how many days” but “whose days”. A spouse who spends most of the year outside China may fail a residence condition while the principal applicant satisfies theirs.
When a second residency earns its place
A second residence is not a substitute for a China status. It earns its place in four situations: the family’s China status depends on one employer; the children may later study outside China; the family needs a base in a second jurisdiction; or the family wants a residence position that survives the principal applicant’s job.
| Route | What it gives | Presence required | Family coverage | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece golden visa | Schengen residence through a property investment from €250,000, or €800,000 in high-demand areas | None | Spouse, children, and parents of both spouses | It is a residence base, not a work route; citizenship is a separate process |
| Portugal golden visa | Residence through a €500,000 qualifying fund, with a path to citizenship | About 14 days every two years | Spouse and dependent children | The property route closed in 2023; the fund route is the main channel |
| Hong Kong TTPS | Hong Kong residence for high earners or graduates of eligible universities | Employment or economic activity in Hong Kong | Spouse and children | Category C has an annual quota; renewal depends on income and tax evidence |
| UAE remote work visa | One-year renewable residence for remote workers earning at least US$3,500 a month | Remote income from outside the UAE | Family sponsorship depends on income | It is short and income-based, not a permanent route |
| US EB-1A | US permanent residence for extraordinary ability, without an employer | US residence obligations apply | Spouse and children | The evidentiary standard is high; backlogs vary by nationality |
Compare against the family’s actual objective. For a European base used part of the year, Greece and Portugal answer different questions: Greece has no stay requirement, Portugal a shorter route to citizenship. For Asia mobility, Hong Kong’s seven-year permanent residence path is the test. For a US career or a child’s US education, EB-1A is a different decision entirely.
What a second residency cannot do: repair a weak China application, replace a work permit, or create a tax position that the family has not modelled. Treat it as portfolio construction, not as a workaround.
Sequencing a move: a 90-day checklist
Ninety days before
- Check every passport’s validity and blank pages.
- Start apostille or consular legalisation for marriage and birth certificates, and order certified translations.
- Confirm the employer’s work-permit filing timeline and the category the role will be assessed under.
- Apply to schools and confirm which permit each school will ask for.
- Get tax advice on the 183-day and six-year rules before the assignment starts.
Thirty days before
- File the Z visa and the S1 applications together, so the family’s permits are sequenced.
- Arrange health insurance and a medical check where the work permit requires one.
- Secure housing and the lease that the residence registration will rely on.
After arrival
- Complete the temporary residence registration within the required window.
- Convert the Z visa into a work permit and a work-type residence permit.
- File the dependants’ residence permits before their entry visas expire.
- Open a bank account and register with the tax authority where required.
Families that treat these as one project, with one owner, avoid most of the delays blamed on the visa office. To map the sequence for your household, contact an advisor, or start with the dependant visa service and the permanent residence guide. The S1/S2 guide covers the documents behind a dependant file, and Five-Star Card vs residence permit covers when a permanent status is the better long-term route.