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New stringent resident permit rules coming into play this yr
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TeacherInChina



Joined: 17 Dec 2010
Posts: 206

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hz88 wrote

Quote:
I mentioned in previous posts about the requirement of original documents for verification.

In Shanxi, apostled or notarised documents are not required for the initial invitation letter but the original copy must be presented later to be exchanged for a resident permit.


The uni I am in the process of working for is not in Shanxi, but the end result may still apply. I have all of my original degrees with me. In your experience with submitting the originals for the resident permit, have the originals been marked up or bent in any way?

I would hate to have to apply for new degree parchments...

Also, is it correct to say that I could just use one of my degrees? Or would I have to submit all of them?
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wawaguagua



Joined: 10 Feb 2013
Posts: 190
Location: China

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not sure if this will apply to me in Xinjiang or not, as the policies here aren't as coherent or consistent as other provinces, but I'm guessing I should go ahead and do it anyway. Does anyone know if I need the original documents to be apostled? Can I just have a family member back home do it for me using a copy? I don't go home during the break times so I'm not sure how to deal with this - The original documents are here with me and it would be a huge headache to mail them back and forth.
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happeningthang



Joined: 08 Oct 2003
Posts: 117

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just got done meeting with our local Foreign Expert's Office - the word from them is that their new system is somewhat automated and requires the candidate's local Chinese consulate to authenticate something...

The compromise is transcripts - it's an original document, so the consulate will authenticate and is easily replaced.

Got that solved suprisingly quickly - all praise to be....
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hz88



Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Posts: 162

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The uni I am in the process of working for is not in Shanxi, but the end result may still apply. I have all of my original degrees with me. In your experience with submitting the originals for the resident permit, have the originals been marked up or bent in any way?


Not to the best of my knowledge. Your FAO will handle them, from what I gather they are simply verified and the copies stamped that the originals have been seen, they are then returned to you.

Perhaps you could tactfully mention the value of them and if they are damaged or lost the cost of replacing them will be on the FAO's shoulder.

After you arrive in China on your z visa, there is another step to complete, this is changing your z visa to a resident permit which involves obtaining your FEC book first, from what I gather they did not ask to see the originals. It is the PSB at the next stage of applying for the RP that do and by all accounts here are sticking to it like glue.

They will need originals of whatever documents were submitted to obtain the original invitation letter (to apply for a z visa), this is essentially, criminal background check, degree, TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate and Health Check.
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TeacherInChina



Joined: 17 Dec 2010
Posts: 206

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hz88 wrote:
Quote:
The uni I am in the process of working for is not in Shanxi, but the end result may still apply. I have all of my original degrees with me. In your experience with submitting the originals for the resident permit, have the originals been marked up or bent in any way?


Not to the best of my knowledge. Your FAO will handle them, from what I gather they are simply verified and the copies stamped that the originals have been seen, they are then returned to you.

Perhaps you could tactfully mention the value of them and if they are damaged or lost the cost of replacing them will be on the FAO's shoulder.

After you arrive in China on your z visa, there is another step to complete, this is changing your z visa to a resident permit which involves obtaining your FEC book first, from what I gather they did not ask to see the originals. It is the PSB at the next stage of applying for the RP that do and by all accounts here are sticking to it like glue.

They will need originals of whatever documents were submitted to obtain the original invitation letter (to apply for a z visa), this is essentially, criminal background check, degree, TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate and Health Check.


Well, I am still in the contract signing phase, but the process seems to be getting more involved. So far, I have not been asked about a CBC or a health check. Hopefully, I won't be asked for them. It isn't a problem to get them, it just is a lot of FEDEX charges for the CBC. Canada has mercifully made the process much easier (and quicker) to do while overseas.

Side question - any Canadians you know of that had to get the CBC? Fingerprints or no fingerprints?
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weigookin74



Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 265

PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

happeningthang wrote:
There has been a tightening up of rules - fo' sho' - but they're not that difficult to deal with.

One thing is the rules we were given tell us the Chinese Consulate must authenticate the degree.

Has anyone gone through this?

I hear some consulates will only do it for ORIGINAL degrees - and not for copies....


Sounds like Korea. Had to get a lawyer to make a photocopy of my degree and sign it. Sent that, along with the Criminal record check to the Korean consulate back in Canada. They stamped it and sent it back to me which I had to then bring with me to Korea. So, maybe China is now the same or almost the same?

Thankfully Canada's not part of the apostile treaty or whatever it is. Americans had it rough as they had to send for a lengthy FBI check and then get everything apostiled by their secretary of state and it apparently took forever.
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thechangling



Joined: 11 Apr 2013
Posts: 276

PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've just had to get my notarised degree authenticated (cost NZ$65) and now translated as well which costs an additional NZ$85!! This is big bucks if you add together the cost of notarisation (up to $60) and the medical check which can be very pricey if you have to do x-rays and an ECG.
Getting a Z work visa for China is not cheap and easy any longer!
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Listerine



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Posts: 340

PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I emailed my FAO who is one of the good ones, consistently on the ball regarding information and requirements - a far cry from many of these clueless bints that pass for Foreign Affairs "Ofiicers"....anyhow her repy word for word was....

"as for the degree authentification, it is now required to the new foreign teacher who will come to China from another country. You don't need to do so because you have already got the Z visa."

Whether this remains the case is anyone's guess, but *for now at least* in Wuxi for already employed teachers nothing is changing....Your Employer's Guanxi Mileage May Vary.
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Jezza



Joined: 05 May 2014
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="happeningthang"]There has been a tightening up of rules - fo' sho' - but they're not that difficult to deal with.

I agree with you on this point, but the issue is that many Chinese schools don't give you enough time and the whole process is quite often rushed.
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Enduro



Joined: 27 Aug 2014
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 1:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

weigookin74 wrote:
happeningthang wrote:
There has been a tightening up of rules - fo' sho' - but they're not that difficult to deal with.

One thing is the rules we were given tell us the Chinese Consulate must authenticate the degree.

Has anyone gone through this?

I hear some consulates will only do it for ORIGINAL degrees - and not for copies....


Sounds like Korea. Had to get a lawyer to make a photocopy of my degree and sign it. Sent that, along with the Criminal record check to the Korean consulate back in Canada. They stamped it and sent it back to me which I had to then bring with me to Korea. So, maybe China is now the same or almost the same?

Thankfully Canada's not part of the apostile treaty or whatever it is. Americans had it rough as they had to send for a lengthy FBI check and then get everything apostiled by their secretary of state and it apparently took forever.


Yeah. Up to about 3 months for the FBI background check and another month for the apostile from the US Dept. of State. There is a possibility (in South Korea) of using an "expedited" background check through an FBI approved service. However, being Korea, depending on the immigration/MOE officer on duty, this may or may not be accepted
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Longer



Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The crackdown is starting on March 1st. I just read this a few minutes ago... http://eslwatch.info/forum/china/325-china-psb-vows-to-arrest-3-000-fake-esl-tefl-foreign-teachers-in-2016-for-fake-diploma-no-z-visa.html#773

It will be enforced in all the tier one cities.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Longer wrote:
The crackdown is starting on March 1st. I just read this a few minutes ago... http://eslwatch.info/forum/china/325-china-psb-vows-to-arrest-3-000-fake-esl-tefl-foreign-teachers-in-2016-for-fake-diploma-no-z-visa.html#773

It will be enforced in all the tier one cities.

Getting the boot because of a bogus degree or no degree isn't new news.

By the way, it's best not to rely on third-rate blogsites for valid info.
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Longer



Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 6:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OP is correct. Even worse than what he said. Starting in September, SAFEA is going to start requiring verification of university degrees and tefl certificates because of all the fraud going on. http://chinascampatrol.wordpress.com
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Dinah606



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 23
Location: China

PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I work in Hubei, and we had a meeting about this. What boiled down to is that our current residency permits are completely valid until they run out, but if we want to renew our contract, we will have to get our degrees verified.

What I don't understand is *how* one does this. I know that the final step is a trip to the Chinese Embassy in our home country, but it seems like there are many many steps before that. We were given a confusing print out instructing us that we must go to the state department Baldwin County Alabama (regardless of whether we were from Alabama, or even the United States) to do that. This was later recalled, and we were told that we should just figure out the steps to degree verification on our own.

Could any US citizen who has already done this shed some light on the process? I'm willing to jump through the hoops to keep my job, but at the moment I don't even know where the hoops are.
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OhBudPowellWhereArtThou



Joined: 02 Jun 2015
Posts: 1168
Location: Since 2003

PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Take a gander at a U.S. Chinese consulate's website. The people who put it together probably know what they're writing about:

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/ywzn/lsyw/gzrz/rzcx/

But then, you might be able to parachute in and nobody will ask any questions. China is, after all, The Land of Milk and Honey.
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