Job Discussion Forums

Rabid · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 199

a little. Maybe. Yes.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Why don't you get married, seems you're living like a married couple anyways?

pierre · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 6:38 am Post subject:

After thirteen years, I'm not sure that I'd win any prizes in the romance stakes if I said 'Honey, let's get married so I can come to China without having to work.'

Rabid · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 199

Just make sure you don't get the yellow fever. You'll get a lot of attention from the type of girls who wouldn't even notice you back home.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

In reply to your query about the DIFFERENCE between 'L' and 'F' visas, here is my tentative answer:

The 'F' visa isnrmally issued to applicants holding an invitation from a Chinese partner, business or a school acting as your employer for no more than 6 months.

Sometimes 'F' visas are issued without an invitation; this occurs regularly in HONG KONG; I am not sure you can get it elsewhere unless you qualify as a businessperson or a teacher for six months.

In your situation a tourist visa is just good enough. It probably costs you less too.
If you apply in HONG KONG, you might obtain a twelve month, multiple-entry or single-entry visa. Multiple-entry is preferable if you wish to sojourn to Hong Kong or Macau occasionally or if you go abroad. (Remember your visa expires on the moment you get an exit stamp, otherwise it expires on the last day marked in it).

Volodiya · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 11:32 am Post subject:

Roger wrote:

pierre · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 1:01 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that. So, if I come in on an L visa, is there any problem with looking around for work and then applying for an F or a Z?

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Pierre,
you are making matters a little complicated, really!
Why don't you try to get a job together with your partner? At least in the same place?

There is no problem for you scouting the market for a vacancy while on a tourist visa; however, your putative employer would have to ask the PSB to cancel your visa (with perhaps the majority of months still unused!), then issue you with a new visa.
THis means that if you get a job after only 3 months in the country you stand to lose 9 months' worth of residency rights on a tourist visa. You also lose an entire passport page.
Please, please, by all means, the PSB will gladly oblige since they will have to be paid a second time.

pierre · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:48 am Post subject:

Probably not the right place to say this, but teaching is not my favourite choice of occupation. Possibly a little scarred after working for Nova. I'd much rather be free to look for something more in my field while my partner teaches. If nothing is happening after say, 3 months then I can start looking for teaching work.

How much am I looking at to change over the visa from L to Z anyway?