About 2,000 workers from Dingzhou regularly work abroad. The area is one of top providers of overseas labor in Hebei province, and the industry is dominated by five agencies in the city.

The service fee paid by the workers has risen in tandem with wages, from 1,000 yuan ($157) per person in 1990 to the present 15,000 yuan. However, most workers in Dingzhou prefer to deal with illegal agencies, reasoning than trust is greater between fellow villagers.

An Pengfei, manager of Jianghai International Labor Agency, said villagers are mindful of their close relationship with neighbors, and legitimate agencies find it hard to sign new clients.

Most illegal agencies are located in towns and villages. In Haotouzhuang township, Gao Congmin has been offering a visa service for years. Gao finds her clients via an instant messenger service and will not deal with strangers, "just in case they are policemen or officials". Her service is very casual: A picture ID, a contract and 16,000 yuan in cash is enough.

Africa was the top destination for many years, but it can often take eight months to secure a visa for an African country, so Gao is now focused on Singapore.

Last month, the Bureau of Commerce in Dingzhou announced that it would eliminate illegal agencies. That led to Gao replacing her street advertising board with a small notice on her front door offering "Cheap passport and visa services."

Hou Xingzhen, director of the export division of the commerce bureau, said in May that illegal agencies will not be tolerated and pledged that they would be eradicated. So far, though, they still exist.