🇨🇳 China Bars Public Employees When Their Spouses Go Abroad — A New Loyalty Litmus Test

Across China, the tightening grip on public-sector travel has intensified: a newly minted requirement in Shanghai and beyond bars candidates for civil service roles simply because their spouse or close relatives have moved abroad. As of early August 2025, this opaque rule has begun disqualifying applicants—and raising vexing questions about where private life ends and state control begins. Individuals with foreign academic ties, including returned overseas students, are also being preemptively denied civil service roles under new local policies emphasizing “ideological discipline” and national security.

Public-sector workers—from teachers and nurses to state-enterprise employees and even retirees—must hand over their passports and secure multiple levels of approval to attend any international travel, even for personal reasons like attending a family event or vacation. In many areas, travel for research, academic exchange, or overseas training is outright banned. Violating these rules may result in travel bans lasting 2–5 years or disciplinary action, regardless of whether the individual handles sensitive information.