King of the Wilderness

Having obtained the children’s United States passports, they immediately initiated the second step of their plan.

At the appointed time, the family set off once more and arrived at the Chinese Consulate General in New York, located by the Hudson River. Unlike the quietness of the post office, the visa hall here was bustling, filled with various accents of Mandarin and English.

When Lin Yu’an appeared in the hall holding the children, it immediately caused a small stir. His immense fame from concerts and TV shows had given him a high level of recognition in the Chinese community.

A very professional-looking female consulate officer personally guided them to a VIP window, greatly reducing their waiting time.

"Mr. Lin, we’ve all watched your performance at Madison Garden. It really made us Chinese proud!" the woman consulate officer said with a smile, her eyes full of admiration.

Aliya submitted her application materials, including a copy of the marriage certificate and Lin Yu’an’s handwritten invitation letter, smoothly applying for a Q1 family reunification visa.

Emily also submitted her L-type tourist visa application, attaching the detailed day-by-day travel plan and hotel reservations prepared by the CAA team.

Finally, it was the children’s turn. Lin Yu’an solemnly submitted Ethan and Olivia’s brand new United States passports, along with their birth certificates, parents’ original passports, and all other materials.

During the wait, Aliya looked at the complex forms and curiously asked Emily in a low voice, "Honey, I still don’t quite understand."

"Since the kids already have United States passports, why can’t we just apply for visas for them the same way we did? Getting this travel permit sounds so special."

Emily adjusted her glasses and quietly explained to her, this was also the core conclusion she had reached after her research in recent days.

"This is the most interesting and complex part; it involves a legal concept known as nationality conflict." Emily’s voice was very low.

"First, China’s ’Nationality Law’ is different from that of the United States; it primarily considers bloodline. The law states that as long as one parent is a Chinese citizen and has not settled abroad, the child, no matter where they are born, is considered by China to have Chinese nationality."

She looked at Lin Yu’an and pointed out the most crucial point: "Lin has not acquired United States nationality. So, although Ethan and Olivia were born in the United States and automatically obtained United States nationality and passports, from the Chinese government’s perspective, they are primarily Chinese citizens."

This conclusion left Aliya briefly stunned: "Does that mean... they are both American and Chinese?"

"That’s right, but the crucial point is that China does not recognize dual nationality." Emily continued to explain, "So there is a conflict: China recognizes them as Chinese, but they indeed hold United States passports. So the question arises, how can they return to China?"

"Can’t they just use the United States passport to apply for a visa?" Aliya asked.

"They can’t." Emily shook her head decisively, "because the Chinese government cannot issue a ’foreign visa’ to its citizens; logically, that doesn’t make sense. But at the same time, due to their unique nationality status, they can’t directly be issued a Chinese passport."

"Thus, the ’People’s Republic of China Travel Permit’ was created." She picked up a brochure and pointed it out to Aliya, "You see, this is essentially a temporary document used to replace a passport, proving their Chinese nationality."

"It declares to border officials in all countries: this child who holds a foreign passport is legally recognized by China as a Chinese citizen, therefore his/her identity is acknowledged by China."

Aliya suddenly understood: "So, to return to China, they use this travel permit, and to go to other countries, they use the United States passport?"

"Absolutely correct." Emily nodded affirmatively, "In China, they can register like other Chinese children and enjoy education and healthcare. But this is not a permanent status."

Emily finally summarized, "In simple terms, before our babies reach adulthood, they have a very unique identity. They are American citizens protected by US law, and at the same time, Chinese citizens acknowledged by Chinese law."

"This travel permit is the clever solution under this legal dilemma, and it is their legitimate document to rightly visit their father’s homeland."

This thorough and clear explanation left Lin Yu’an and Aliya with newfound understanding. They had never before grasped this unique and fortunate identity of their children so deeply.

Swiftly, after confirming all the documents were correct, the window staff officially processed their application for the Chinese travel permit.

All documents were submitted, and after a few days of patient waiting, when the consulate’s notification slip was delivered, the last piece of the puzzle for their journey was finally complete.

In the envelope picked up from the consulate, Aliya and Emily’s passports had already been affixed with a China visa bearing the Great Wall pattern and a bright red stamp.

As well as the two dark blue People’s Republic of China Travel Permits belonging to Ethan and Olivia, for their journey to their father’s homeland.

All the documents were in order, meaning the path to the East was now fully open.

By now, it was late February, with less than a week before the early March Kunming Summit.

"Seems like we need to head straight from here," Lin Yu’an said, looking at the brand-new documents in his hand, making the most direct decision.

"Fantastic! An impromptu adventure to the East!" Aliya cheered excitedly, showing no dissatisfaction with the sudden change in plans.

Emily immediately got into action, picking up the phone to contact the hotel’s private concierge to coordinate luggage packing and the arrangement of private transportation.