Obtaining Chinese Working Visa (Z-Visa)The Chinese Residence Permit
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The Chinese Residence Permit is a supplemental permission that allows you to reside in China longer than the duration of your initial visa. Remember, a visa permits you entry into China it serves only that purpose alone. The residence permit allows you to live, (reside) in China for the term of your teaching or working contract.
The only way to obtain the residence permit is by submitting to resident permit formalities after you have arrived in China.
STEPS TO OBTAINING RESIDENCE PERMIT
1. Arrival in China at your working location 2. Register with the local Public Security Bureau. (within 48-hours of your arrival) 3. Supplemental Non-invasive Health examination. (At provincial Capital) 4. Residence Permission Application Submitted by your employer. 5. Submit your original passport to have the residence permit affixed.
As of July 2005, the only visas that are allowed to be converted to residence permit status are the F-Chinese Business Visa, and the Z-Chinese Working Visa. Tourists arriving on L-visas in China hoping to meander about searching for work opportunities with schools will find it almost impossible to convert their tourist visa to a residence permit.
You will find advice contrary to this on several older web sites and teaching boards. Some teachers who have been in China a long time advise that you should attempt to enter China firstly and apply directly to the schools. That is how things were done several years ago. THIS IS NOT HOW THINGS ARE DONE NOW. That information is outdated and at this point extremely bad advice. While this method may have worked in the past, new visa regulations and enforcement of immigration laws essentially prevent you from obtaining legal employment without having gone through the application formalities before entering China. One additional note of importance is that the government has imposed fines on schools that hire foreign teachers illegally. Ignorance of these rules will not get you or your potential employer out of having to pay the fines.
One Exception, Not For Everyone The one exception to this is if you were to arrive in China as a tourist. Find a school, and wait for the invitation letter formalities (usually about 2 weeks) then pay the high expense of traveling to Hong Kong to re-enter China on the appropriate visa. This exception poses several obvious problems. Firstly, this method exempts teachers not having the financial wherewithal to endure the high cost of traveling back and forth to Hong Kong. Second, the Hong Kong Visa Office is very formal about the appropriate documents required for employment entry into mainland China. If you do not have original documents or if any document is missing there is no forgiveness. You will not be able to ascertain the working visa and will have to start over from the beginning adding to frustration and cost.
CHINESE RESIDENCE PERMISSION STICKER IN PASSPORT
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Pre-Trip Links
Document Samples Public Schools Visa Application Form (Eng) Invitation Letter, Public Security B.
Companies, Business Alien Employment License (Eng)
Post Arrival Links
Education Abroad Directory Study Abroad, Chinese Government Departments, Business Networking Events, Teacher Blogs
24-Hour Service, Experienced visa agents can help you acquire your working visa and documents.
Pinless Access - Online Account recognizes your phone number. Never dial a PIN again!
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