Job Discussion Forums

[indoboy17]

I am waiting for my work permit for a job in CHina and the employer said do I want to get it in Korea or Hong Kong. I am currently in Taiwan and I asked an agency in HK if they can get me a Z visa and they said yes and I don't need a HK ID card to get one. My ARC runs out mid august in Korea and I definitely need an ARC card to apply for a Z visa in Korea. And I can get an agency in Taiwan to get me the Z visa but they go through Hong Kong anyway.

Korea is the cheapest at 140 000 WON for express processing of a Z visa application through a travel agency.

The guy in Taiwan wants 15 000 TWD which is a lot more. I dont know how much they want in HK yet.

But has anyone got their Z visa through Hong KOng? And did you need a HK ID card or not?

[Non Sequitur]

Keep an eye on this thread:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=116573
If Z visas are now easily obtainable in 3rd countries then it's a major breakthrough.
Especially given the higher bars we now see in qualifications and work experience.

[indoboy17]

Z visas are definitely available in 3rd countries because my school told me they had some teachers apply last year from the countries they are in for the Z visa. Also what is the point of chinese embassies and consulates abroad if they don;t offer this service. My question was about Hong Kong though because I don;t have a HK ID card. I have a Taiwan ARC and a Korea ARC. You need an ARC card to be able to apply in a lot of places. Please read the question properly. The work permit is now done online and it is printed off once approved from the system. There are no documents sent except the invitation letter from the school.

[indoboy17]

I think NS is confusing applying for a Z visa once you have the work permit with getting all your documents ready. I did mine by DHL ing everything back to the UK and the notary notarised my degree and sent it for apostille then sent it for legalising. The apostille centre sent my criminal check directly to a visa agency in London to legalise it too. I did my medical in taiwan (for $50!!!)

so now the school (an international school not an ESL language school) are applying online for the work permit. EVen if you did have to go back home to get it, you still wouldn't need to personally fly home because there are agencies in London who will take your documents for you to get your Z visa and they will DHL it back to you. But as far as I know, you can get it done at any chinese consulate. That's what my international school told me anyway.

[indoboy17]

I checked the hong kong chinese consulate website and they say if you don't have a permanent job or residency in Hong Kong you have to apply in the country of your residence. I am in Taiwan and resident here (ARC card). so where do I apply then cos there is not chinese embassy or consulate in Taiwan. I tried calling them but they were constantly busy.

[Modernist]

Gosh, this OP's hectoring yet needy tone, and constant repetitive posts one after the other, seems SO familiar. Ooh, it has pointless bragging about the supposed status of the poster's job and qualifications relative to those of others, too! Where have I heard this before? UKTeacher, cebuman, busan1, HeadTeacher, internationalteacher...I can't keep track of them all. The regular bannings both here and on the other forum, where he's been posting more needy demands alongside his regular bragging and denigration, is at times confusing.

Well, OP, just remember that no matter how many socks you make, you'll always sound just like yourself. It's the old, wherever you go, there you are problem. Your new school will soon discover it, too (I feel for the students).

As regards the supposed topic, as usual no one could give a clear answer because no one knows the clear answer. Each Chinese embassy and consulate seems to handle things differently. Policies of the MOFA seem to change constantly. The consular officers seem to have leeway to do what they feel like.

I myself am planning to try HK in about a month. The school says it will work. The Web site says no (need ID, etc). The school contacted them via email and asked, and heard, no joke, 'maybe'. But until I have the thing in the passport I can't know for sure.

[indoboy17]

Oh one of those suckers off Waygook. Whatever you think you know about me, I am a proper qualified teacher and I have a proper international job with all the benefits and 3 times an ESL salary. Go figure why you need to bombard posts with insulting misinfo. At least you answered the question so you have a tiny amount of decency about you.

[getbehindthemule]

I got my Z Visa processed in HK (back in '14). I had all the necessary paperwork, dropped it in and collected it the next day (no HK id card, just passport required btw). Came back to Shanghai and converted it to a RP. I know loads of other teachers who have done this in HK over the past couple of years.
But it seems to depend on your school/company's guanxi as it doesn't work out for everybody by all accounts! GL!

[indoboy17]

They have come back and said they can get me the Z visa in HK. Another agency says you can get a visa without a HKID card too. Will see if they are right I suppose. If not will have to do the process all over again.

[indoboy17]

[indoboy17]

Can anyone else attest to the fact that they were able to obtain a Z visa without a HKID card from the chinese consulate in Hong Kong recently? Which agency did you use?

[Alien abductee]

[happeningthang]

I have had teachers go through a similar process of having all their documents prepared while they were here in China - who then had to leave the country in order to "enter" on the Z visa.

I know of two people who have done this in the past three months in HK - and it is commonplace from what I understand. None of these people have ever had HK ARC cards. It doesn't seem to be an issue.

For Taiwan no-one ever seems to see that as an option - I guess because of the "Three systems one Country" policy.