Job Discussion Forums

[vikeologist]

The invitation letter (LOI) has to stipulate the country in which you will apply for the Z visa. If the school already has the LOI, then they'll need to apply for a new one, (and pay a large fee. I think it's about Y3,000, but I could be wrong). They're unlikely to want to pay for it again.

Besides, how could they possibly get a new LOI, and send it to you in time?

Make sure that you have an iron clad commitment from the Uni to apply for and pay for the new LOI and send it to you. You also need to be absolutely certain that the visa processing office in Korea will do your visa. The existing LOI (stipulating Austria) will absolutely not be accepted in Korea.

[mike w]

Stop rushing!! You stand a very good chance of rushing into a disaster scenario. Trying to confirm that documents can be changed, and sent from China super-quick to Seoul or anywhere else, to apply for a visa that you're not even sure can be issued in Seoul is a really risky situation to put yourself in.
If I was in your situation, I think I would step back from the edge, stay put, talk to the university and get everything in order from my homebase. If you get to Seoul, and everything goes pear-shaped, where is your safety-net?

[thechangling]

[tyroleanhat]

you convinced me. I delayed my flight for 8 more days.
But I am getting nervous again, as I just found a note on the Austrian China-embassy website, stating that same-day--visas don't exist anymore and that the process takes 5 days.
It drives me crazy that this embassy is never available on the phone, I cannot just ask them a simple question.

So, now I am waiting for the Letter of invitation. my flight is exactly today in 14 days. Do you think the time frame is still ok?
And if worse comes to worse, could I apply with a scanned copy of the invitation letter in the meantime - having my Uni tell the embassy that the original letter is on its way?

[mike w]

What is the rush? Now you are assuming that you will be granted a visa. When dealing with Chinese authorities, this can be a dangerous game. It is not beyond the imagination that the embassy may have some other requirement not on their website which you will not find out about until you make the visa application. A far wiser move would have been to delay your flight until you have your visa in hand.
Being a regular traveller to and from Europe, flights at short notice ar not difficult to arrange - there is plenty of choice through Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels et al.

[johntpartee]

[tyroleanhat]

hmm the rush was because I didnt want to start working there 3 weeks late. with this flight now I will start only 1 week late.

to change flights usually costs a fortune with my airline (I paid 700 Dollars, and it can be far more expensive if its very short notice)

mike w can you tell me what unexpected things could happen with the visa application? even if I have the LoI and everything ready? What other documents should I bring just in case? (I am travelling 5 hours just to get to this embassy)

[Non Sequitur]

If I was going to pay a penalty I'd drop the travel date back as far as the latest start date the school will accept.
You seem to have given yourself another sweaty palm deadline.

[mike w]

Difficult to say what might happen or what else they may ask for - that's why it's 'unexpected'.

But I have known an embassy before ask for a copy of the applicants university degree transript - very unusual, but it happened.

I have also known, and this may be more relevant to you, one person whose visa application was turned down, even thouth all his required documentation was correct. The reason? He was going to teach English, and he was not from one of the listed native English speaking countries. So the embassy took it into their own hands to refuse him a Z visa.

Again unusual, but, and you will probably get to hear this many times - This is China!!!! The country where 'rules' can and often do change on an almost daily basis (without any formal prior notification); the country where central government rules are often ignored or re-interpreted at provincial level; the country where provincial authorities are known to 'make-up' their own rules and try to pass them off as central government policy; the list is endless.

Hence my reasoning that it is best not to book your flight until you have the visa in your hand.

[vikeologist]

Stop frightening the lad. He's booked the ticket now.

[mike w]

The intention is not to frighten anybody. He asked the question. Better to be forewarned that frequently when dealing with authority in China, things are not always plain sailing.

You know that, and I know that. We have the experience. He doesn't - forewarned is to be fore-armed.

[Banner41]

I had my Visa rejected last year on the first go round even though I was already here three years with legit paperwork from English speaking country. I made the same mistake of booking my flight thinking nothing could go wrong. Wasn't really given a reason why it was rejected. It was resubmitted exactly the same and it was accepted. (TIC) It delayed my arrival about a month. So I had to eat an expensive plane ticket transfer (about 600 dollars). I will never ever book my flight until my visa is in hand again.

Live and learn.

[teenoso]

There is nothing wrong with arriving late to start work , especially at a Uni. In fact it is very common , because of visa delays in particular . One teacher here arrived in about week 12 of term . If your Uni wants you , they will understand a few weeks' delay.
I agree with all the other posts that say get your visa in hand before booking the flight . Now especially , it's still the Spring festival break and many offices (Uni, PSB, embassy ) will be closed or short-staffed.

[tyroleanhat]

The airline just offered me a second rescheduling for a very low price on March 2nd (if I book it today). Should I take this offer to be on the safe side, risking to dissappoint the Uni by arriving 2 weeks late? I cannot ask the Uni for the advice what to do, because its weekend and they are not answering my mails..

[muffintop]

I think your question was already answered in this thread...several times.