Beijing is said to be allowing a record number of visas to be given to foreigners in 2010, in a bid to aid the recovering economy.
According to METRO, the public security bureau of Beijing has stated that they plan on making a firm increase on the amount of visas given out to alien visitors, which may be an increase of over 10 percent. In 2007 210,000 visas were handed out and this figure is set to see a significant rise.
It is thought that the rise in visas will in turn see a rise in foreign students and expatriate workers. Jia Keming, Beijing director of entry and exit administration, said: “Visas issued this year will very likely surpass the previous records. Our prediction is well above 200,000. The reviving economy this year is expected to bring a consistent number of foreign students as before and attract a greater number of foreign employees. We also have similar predictions for travel and business visa holders . The influx is predicted to be so great that a number of new visa branches have been opened to cope with the demand.
The number of visas given out in 2007 was actually a previous high with the number slumping in both 2008 and 2009 to less than 200,000. The Beijing Olympics and the 60th anniversary of New China led to a clampdown in the amount of visas given out in a bid to ensure safety and wellbeing at those two landmark events.
Mr Keming added that most people who apply for visas this year will be accepted.