Campaign to enforce visa rules

Chinese people who employ or accommodate foreigners in Beijing without valid visas face penalties and could be required to cover the cost of deportation, a senior officer at the Beijing public security bureau's exit-entry administration warned.

Police in the capital on Tuesday launched a 100-day campaign to curb illegal overstays, employment and entry of foreigners, which means each foreigner should carry their passports with them in case police ask them to show it on the street, said Lin Song, the officer responsible for the clampdown.

Foreigners caught applying for jobs in China without a permit from the country's administrations will be identified as illegally employed and fined 1,000 yuan ($160), according to the regulations.

Companies or individuals that hire foreigners without the necessary paperwork will be required to terminate employment. They will face fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan and could be responsible for the foreign employee's deportation expenses.

"For foreigners who illegally stay, we'll give them a fine and an administrative detention of less than 10 days," Lin said, adding that landlords will also take related responsibility and face punishments if the police find they are intentionally housing an illegal foreign resident.

In addition, if a foreigner enters Beijing illegally, he or she must pay a fine ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan and face at least three days of administrative custody, Lin said.

"If the illegal entry, stay and employment of foreigners is serious, police have the right to order them to leave the country within a time frame or deport them," he said.

The officer told China Daily that the inspection of foreigners' passports will be occur not only in customs, railway stations or at airports but also on the street.

"We just want foreigners to know about Chinese rules governing the housing, employment and entry of foreigners with our enforcement. We hope foreigners can understand our work and abide by Chinese regulations," he added.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn