China’s Singapore visa centre to take more emergency visa applications after long queues form daily
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A queue outside the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Singapore on March 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SINGAPORE - Applying for a Chinese visa will become easier for Singapore residents from Monday as the Chinese embassy here takes steps to address growing demand for travel to China.
China’s Ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre will increase the number of daily appointments for emergency visa applications amid a “significant rise” in such applications.
Despite China’s reversal of its strict Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, it has not resumed visa-free travel for Singaporeans. This has led to long lines as people here apply to travel to China for work and study, tourism or to visit relatives.
The increase in visa applications has been accompanied by problems such as long waiting times for appointment slots. Checks by The Straits Times on Saturday found that the next available slot for a visa appointment is on June 7.
In April, Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao reported long queues daily outside the centre, with a line of about 200 people forming as early as an hour before the centre opened its doors.
Ms Sun said the centre will adjust the process for emergency visa applications from Monday so that applicants need not line up in the scorching heat.
First, appointments for an emergency visa must be made online instead of queueing on site.
Second, the number of daily appointments will increase.
From 4pm to 6pm on each working day, the centre’s website will issue between 200 and 250 appointment numbers for emergency visa applications for the following day.
These additional numbers will not entail extra charges.
The existing two methods of online appointment and visa application for humanitarian purposes via the centre’s green channel remain unchanged.
Due to the high demand for visas in recent days, applicants are advised by the embassy to make appointments in advance and schedule their itinerary accordingly.
Ms Sun said: “The embassy and the centre are doing our best within our scope of duty to facilitate the process and offer better application experience.”
Since March, China has resumed issuing a range of visas to foreigners,
