Immigration officers making foreigners' arrivals easier

Shanghai has seen the arrival of more than 3.4 million foreigners since the beginning of the year, 2.1 times that of the same period last year, according to Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.

The number of visa-free entries by foreigners was over 1.1 million, and the number of 144-hour visa-free transit foreigners reached 32,000, with year-on-year increases of 367 and 178 percent respectively, Cheng Jin, deputy director-general of the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection, said in a press release at the 2024 North Bund Forum.

China's 144-hour transit visa-free policy now covers 37 ports and applies to travelers from 54 countries. The policy contributed to the steady rise in foreign arrivals, making Shanghai the top entry point for international visitors to China.

"In order to fully leverage the benefits of the policy, we have optimized the clearance process, such as fingerprint collection, information filling, and information verification to ensure that international travelers are able to queue only once for immigration inspection and customs clearance," Cheng said.

He said local border inspection launched an online platform for entry, which is significantly cut the entry time for immigration inspection.

Shanghai immigration inspection department has also set special emergency assistance channels at the port, operates a "12367" service hotline on a 7x24-hour basis, and launched an all-English new media platform "SH-immi," aiming to provide overseas passengers with multi-channel, round-the-clock, and multilingual services.

In addition, the office has a 180-member volunteer group, formed by immigration inspection police officers, providing 13 language consultation services at Pudong International Airport.

The Shanghai immigration inspection department has been actively engaged in the construction of sea ports, airports, cruise ports, and transportation and distribution systems, helping the city become world-class shipping and aviation hub.

Over the past four years, its officers have ensured the safe and smooth clearance of more than 58 million passengers, over 600,000 international flights, and more than 190,000 ships, contributing to Shanghai's leading position as the world's largest container port for 14 consecutive years.

They have also implemented measures such as exempting crew members from immigration inspection for consecutive flights and self-service registration for fast channels, and introduced a green channel for cargo flights carrying bulk commodities, fresh products, and essential goods, saving an average of around one hour in entry procedures for each flight.

Since the beginning of this year, border police officers have provided efficient immigration inspection services to more than 1.5 million cruise passengers.

In addition, the department has made great efforts in maintaining port security. Over the past four years, police officers have handled more than 20,000 cases involving various types of illegal and non-compliant personnel, and apprehended over 1,700 suspects who were being sought online.