Job Discussion Forums

Volodiya · Last edited by Volodiya on Tue Jun 21, 2005 3:41 am; edited 3 times in total

For those of you who may be somewhat new to this-

If you have an Residency Permit for Foreigners and will be traveling out of China for a summer holiday, now is the time to line up a new contract or, find a new position in time to present your RPF to the local authorities for an extension of the period of validity (for example, to the end of your next contract). If it expires while you're abroad, you'll need to get a visa to get back into China, and you'll have to go through the process of getting a new RPF, once you're back. Save yourself some trouble by getting your RPF extended, now, if you can.

If you don't get it extended, be sure to leave China before it expires; otherwise, you may incur significant fines when you leave (last time I looked, it was 500 RMB/day, or part thereof)

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

That's exactly what I'm doing. I've lined up a job for the fall and I'm going there this weekend to (hopefully) sign a contract. I'll leave them my passport and have already sent them everything else they need (copy of diploma, copy of teaching certificate, letter of recommendation, etc.). Hopefully (actually, it's a must), they'll have everything processed by the end of June and I'll be set to go for another glorious year in the land of China.

Good advice - - you know we'll have a bunch of people here late summer bemoaning this very situation.

hilary · Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 246 Location: Kunming

[quote="kev7161"]That's exactly what I'm doing. I've lined up a job for the fall and I'm going there this weekend to (hopefully) sign a contract. I'll leave them my passport

Okay as long as you don't need your passport to fly back to your current job.... I'm going to look into doing the whole thing by post.

Volodiya · Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:32 am Post subject:

IMO, Hilary is likely to be able to get her Residence Permit for Foreigners extended on the strength of her new contract, once it's signed, to the end date of her new contract period. (She has an offer from a government university for the fall term.)

Her prospective employer has all the documents needed to prove her qualifications and can proceed to get approvals from the relevant agencies at her new place of employment. She will need to forward her passport, by EMS or other reliable, express service, when the time comes, together with a return, prepaid shipping envelop for the return of her passport when the process is completed.

The advantage to her of doing it this way is that she will not need a visa to exit or return to China, if she has a current RPF. With her valid, unexpired RPF, she will not need a Z visa, either to re-enter the country or to work, as the RPF grants her both privileges, eliminating the need for a Z visa.

burnsie · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 489 Location: Beijing

Also this is the time for applying for your multiple entry visa. It is always best to do this (even though it costs extra) in the case you have to get up and leave for a short while for any reason. It saves alot of pain when you have to do this quickly.

Your employer may or may not want to do this and usually you pay the extra 600 RMB or so that is required to apply for this visa.

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:23 am Post subject:

I wrote:

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 4:04 am Post subject:

Just to clarify a little further, we have my personal experience, and perhaps that of others, as well as the comments that were first made on this forum, back at the end of last year, about the effect of the new Residence Permit for Foreigners stamp, to be placed in the passport.

Among the things that were published back then was an article in the People's Daily:

lowes13 · Joined: 01 Sep 2004 Posts: 56 Location: Jiangsu

This topic continues to be something of a grey area to many of us within China and therefore this post is the perfect vehicle to clarify the matter once and fore all. I�ve certainly had several questions myself and have found the info collected by Volodiya very helpful.
Are there more FT�s out there who have a similar experience to the poster?

lowes13 · Joined: 01 Sep 2004 Posts: 56 Location: Jiangsu

This topic continues to be something of a grey area to many of us within China and therefore this post is the perfect vehicle to clarify the matter once and fore all. I�ve certainly had several questions myself and have found the info collected by Volodiya very helpful.
Are there more FT�s out there who have a similar experience to the poster?

clomper · Joined: 07 Oct 2003 Posts: 251 Location: Beijing

Well.. I can't relate with the new RPF as I don't have one. I use my multiple Z when I want to travel abroad without hassle.

I'm going to have everything extended as I'm staying for another year with the same school. I might get the new RPF this time. If so, I'll share my experience when I come back from my summer holidays.

Claudine

burnsie · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 489 Location: Beijing

Yes, you are right I have been out of touch. You don't need to apply for a multiple entry visa now with the law changes in November.

Interestingly you brought up the website that I actually wrote the english section for about this time last year! Rolling Eyes

www.speedbusiness.com.cn

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:54 am Post subject:

Now, that's extraordinary, Burnsie.

I'm awfully glad you agreed, because I've read everything everybody's written about this stuff on this forum and really made an effort to find a conceptual framework into which to put all our respective knowledge, and experience.

I think that although, as would be the case with any legal subject, we have to be light of foot and ready to adopt a new view of things, we now have a much firmer grip on where things stand than we did six months ago.

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:11 am Post subject:

Lowes13 wrote:

lowes13 · Joined: 01 Sep 2004 Posts: 56 Location: Jiangsu

Does the old Residence Permit booklet, issued prior to late 2004, carry the same entry/exit possibilities as the new sticker?

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:00 am Post subject:

No, that was perhaps the most significant change in the law and procedures as it affects FTs.

With the old resident permit booklet, you either needed a valid Z visa with multiple entries, or you had to apply for a re-entry permit before you left China.

The new system is simpler and more convenient.