Cloudy
There are a lot of remarkable similarities between apartments and motorcycles. One, I'm obsessed with both. Two, they both require constant maintenance and upkeep as things break down. Three, they both need to be registered in China, but most expats don't bother. In the event of a crackdown, it becomes a cat and mouse game.
The PSB (public security bureau) likes to ring in the new year with new rules. Yawn. This year, motorcycles are off their radar screen, but the latest problem to go after is unregistered expats.
The Shanghai Daily paper, which I read daily, mentioned changes to the immigration law taking place in 2012 and the promise of a severe crackdown for expats who are working illegally in China. Nothing new under the sun of course, these crackdowns happen all the time. But there is a twist to the rules now. Namely they have been updated in 2012 to essentially increase by penalties and fines ten-fold. The old rules involved a relative slap on the wrist, that is 500 RMB per day fine of overstaying the visa, or something similar if working on an improper visa. These rules were over 25 years out of date, and have been severely updated now.
The part about working illegally need not concern me, as I have full paperwork to prove I'm in possession of a legitimate work visa, foreign experts certificate, and residents permit. But what does concern me is that illegal or semi-legal expats are everywhere in Shanghai, and this has been the norm for years. Thus crackdowns to find, fine, and deport such bad guys are inevitably going to affect the good guys too. That's how it is in China. The group mentality dictates that you punish the whole lot if you can't narrow down the offenders.
The usual tactics by the PSB (public security bureau) in such crackdowns on illegal expats involve house-to-house searches. Sounds scary, but they have a lot of work to do, and it's very hard to go after everyone in a city of 25 million people with perhaps 300,000 expats mixed in. Of course, there are the 5 million illegal migrant workers from other provinces, and untold millions of locals who don't have proper house registration papers, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.
That all being said, imagine my shock when someone pounded on the door today and rang the bell multiple times. A peep showed it was two plainclothes men, most likely PSB officers. Obviously I didn't answer. Who opens the door in China for strangers anyway? If this really was the PSB, then it begs the question as to how they found my house. My guess is they made random house calls, or asked guards, i.e. where do the foreigners live? If no answer at the door, I'm gambling they would give up and move on, after all they have a huge job to do. There is virtually no paper trail to track my new address since I moved in October, but all that will change in February when I actually register with the police.
The letter of the law remains. You must go to the local police station with a copy of the house rental contract and the landlord's ID card within 24 hours of entering the country or changing address. Since I moved house back in October and didn't register with my new address, I'm potentially screwed until the holidays begin.
Not registering at the time of moving house was a calculated risk, and a low risk, given the location. Also a handful of foreigners live in this massive compound, scattered all over the place, mixed in with thousands of locals. Trying to register my new address back in October would have generated all kinds of confusion at the local police office, due to complications in the paperwork. It's much easier if I just register in February after coming back from Thailand.
The registration would be later helpful in applying for a Chinese motorcycle drivers license.
But for now, will regretably have to law low until the holidays begin. That means lights out, avoid guards, double-lock the doors, etc. etc.
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