Exit & Entry Administrative Bureau of Shanghai Public Security Bureau Releases Visitor Statistics for Shanghai in 2008

Both Visitor and Expatriate Populations Have Risen, with an Even Better Outlook for 2009

JAN 14 2008, SHANGHAI - The Entry & Exit Administrative Bureau of Shanghai Public Security Bureau released entry and exit statistics for 2008 last week, and China Visa Online was there to review some official statistics.

For students, there were 40,000 people studying abroad in Shanghai in 2008, of whom at least 10,000 were full time students. For other expatriates, there were a total of 250,000 visa applications, an increase of over 5% from 2007. There were 1.55 million visa applications in 2007, and 1.80 million in 2008.

One interesting statistic was with regard to overseas Chinese visitors. In 2008, the number of overseas Chinese who entered or exited mainland China was 1.84 million, and for Taiwan there were 1.5 million people.

No matter how you categorize the data, it all reflects a general rise in people who are visiting and living in China. The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai is just around the corner, and the Bureau anticipates that approximately 3.5 million to 5 million expatriates will attend the exhibition. We forecast continued upbeat immigration with strong market potential.