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bg030
Joined: 24 Jun 2012
Posts: 8
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 Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 2:39 pm Post subject: how long does it take to get the work invitation |
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| My FAO filed last week. I booked my flight for the end of next month. That leaves a window of 5-6 weeks to receive the invitation, go to the embassy for the visa and make the flight. Is this enough time? |
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teachingld2004
Joined: 17 Feb 2012
Posts: 389
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:18 pm Post subject: Info |
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| It should be enough time, but why did you book your flight without having any documents? |
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daikaiju
Joined: 03 Mar 2013
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I just got mine today after my employer sent it on Thursday. Doesn't seem to take long, I just need to get to the embassy tomorrow and should hopefully have the visa by Friday. |
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roadwalker
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 1750
Location: Ch
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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| daikaiju wrote: |
| I just got mine today after my employer sent it on Thursday. Doesn't seem to take long, I just need to get to the embassy tomorrow and should hopefully have the visa by Friday. |
I think OP means how long from when the school applies to the government for the documents, and the answer is: who knows? Every school, every location, every instance might be different. Something could go wrong. Something could be lost, or missing from the application. A new demand may pop up. I'm with teachingld2004: don't buy tickets until you have the documents in your hands, or even the visa in your passport. Good luck OP, and let the school know you bought the ticket, so that they hopefully will impress upon the agencies involved to prioritize your application. |
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bg030
Joined: 24 Jun 2012
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Roadwalker is right. I meant how long from when the school applies for the document. I did not want to buy the ticket ahead of time but the FAO told me that it was necessary in order to obtain my invitation. |
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roadwalker
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 1750
Location: Ch
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| bg030 wrote: |
| Roadwalker is right. I meant how long from when the school applies for the document. I did not want to buy the ticket ahead of time but the FAO told me that it was necessary in order to obtain my invitation. |
Hmm, I've never heard of this requirement. Perhaps the school itself just wanted to be sure of your commitment. My other thought is that they don't have the ability to get the z-visa and used that as a ruse to get you over on a tourist visa when things break down, whereupon they will "straighten out this whole visa mess." Hopefully it is the former, if not an actual requirement.
Has anyone else been told to buy a ticket as a condition of receiving an invitation letter (Visa Notification Letter) and Work Permit? |
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daikaiju
Joined: 03 Mar 2013
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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My bad.
My school applied 2 weeks ago. It took a week for it to arrive at my school. I offered to buy the ticket early, but my FAO told not to do so until I had the visa in my passport. |
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Bud Powell
Joined: 11 Jul 2013
Posts: 1736
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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Has anyone else been told to buy a ticket as a condition of receiving an invitation letter (Visa Notification Letter) and Work Permit?
Never. I've never been shafted by a school who couldn't produce a Z visa as promised either. |
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Banner41
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 656
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:29 am Post subject: |
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| I made the mistake once of booking my flight 6 weeks out to save money. The letter took 6 weeks to get there so add 4 days at the Chinese embassy and I had to cancel and re-book my flight. I had bought insurance on my ticket but it doesn't cover it if the reason is you don't have the right paperwork. It cost more to cancel and re-book. Lesson learned. |
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Bud Powell
Joined: 11 Jul 2013
Posts: 1736
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| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 11:47 am Post subject: |
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"...I had bought insurance on my ticket but it doesn't cover it if the reason is you don't have the right paperwork..."
Flight insurance is usually just reimbursement of ticketing fees and the small commission that the agent would have made had the purchaser not canceled. The issuer of the insurance doesn't care why the purchaser wants to cancel the flight.
There should be a sticky regarding issuance of letters of invitation, etc.. A lot of people just don't understand that the school doesn't want the FT to arrive in China before the school reopens for the school year or until the school is ready for him. The school times the application for the letter of invitation to coincide with a reasonable amount of time for it to arrive in the prospective employee's hands and for him to submit it to the consulate to secure a visa.
And yes, I know that the school doesn't understand much about purchasing plane tickets and how much more they cost the sooner the departure time arrives. The Chinese don't get out much. |
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Banner41
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 656
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Bud Powell wrote: |
"...I had bought insurance on my ticket but it doesn't cover it if the reason is you don't have the right paperwork..."
Flight insurance is usually just reimbursement of ticketing fees and the small commission that the agent would have made had the purchaser not canceled. The issuer of the insurance doesn't care why the purchaser wants to cancel the flight.
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Well I wasn't covered by United when I told them why so, yes.....they did care. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Bud Powell wrote: |
"...I had bought insurance on my ticket but it doesn't cover it if the reason is you don't have the right paperwork..."
Flight insurance is usually just reimbursement of ticketing fees and the small commission that the agent would have made had the purchaser not canceled. The issuer of the insurance doesn't care why the purchaser wants to cancel the flight.
There should be a sticky regarding issuance of letters of invitation, etc.. A lot of people just don't understand that the school doesn't want the FT to arrive in China before the school reopens for the school year or until the school is ready for him. The school times the application for the letter of invitation to coincide with a reasonable amount of time for it to arrive in the prospective employee's hands and for him to submit it to the consulate to secure a visa.
And yes, I know that the school doesn't understand much about purchasing plane tickets and how much more they cost the sooner the departure time arrives. The Chinese don't get out much. |
That's so right. Took me ages to convince my FAO that a return costs less that 2xone way and that me buying a one-way in and them buying a one-way out cost more than me buying a return and getting reimbursed.
The 12m max to use the return also had them foxed.
These comments from my point of departure. |
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bg030
Joined: 24 Jun 2012
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2013 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for your responses. My FAO said that my invitation letter is in the mail.
In preparation for my trip to the Embassy, I went on the website to doublecheck the documents that I'll need to bring. They require an employment license. My FAO hasn't mentioned this yet. Do I have to wait for a seperate document, is it implied in the letter of invitation or this yet another thing that varies province to province, and embassy to embassy.
Could someone please explain this to me? |
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kungfuman
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 1749
Location: In My Own Private Idaho
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| Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2013 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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| bg030 wrote: |
| They require an employment license. |
Huh? A what and whose? |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2013 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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That's new to me.
I wonder if it is the licence the employer has to employ foreigners.
I expect if this is the case it would only be the licence number and it may be endorsed on the papers you are awaiting.
Others may have a different 'take'.
If this is the case then it's a good sign. I shows the Chinese are tightening up on non-legit employers.
That said the non licenced mob are the ones who say 'come on a tourist and we'll convert it later'. |
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