Job Discussion Forums

[xswa2003]

As I get closer to the "offer" stage I am starting to hear about health exams. I have a trick heart [nothing you would ever know w/o an exam] and there is no way I can pass an EKG. Do I need to start looking somewhere other than China?

[MyTurnNow]

Serious heart problems might prevent you from getting a Z visa- kind of depends upon the problem. Its difficult to say for sure without knowing specifics of your condition.

If it's a harmless anomaly then get a statement from a doctor, notarized and hopefully translated...might get you in. If its an actual health problem then you will have trouble getting a long-term visa. You can also probably kiss medical insurance goodbye, and you won't be able to marry a Chinese girl here.

Best source of info will be the Chinese Embassy or the nearest Consulate. I recommend a call or personal visit. You may never hear back on an e-mail. Should be able to ask your question without leaving a name, if you wish. If you feel you can do it, your employer might also be able to advise you but of course asking could cost you the job.

There is an option of working on a tourist or business visa, which do not require exams, but these are technically illegal and could potentially cause you problems. I do not recommend this route.

Be advised that life in China is considerably more strenuous than life in the USA. You can count on more walking, climbing stairs, carrying heavy things, etc. than you may do at home. Double the effort level in mountainous areas, and triple it in high-altitude places like Tibet. You can also count on more primitive medical facilities, less-qualified doctors, and much poorer emergency transport arrangements (i.e. ambulances). You should consider this carefully. I strongly advise that you discuss a potential China residency with your doctor or local health department overseas travel office.

Good luck,
MT

[xswa2003]

Thank MT - That is extremely informative.

For clarification, are you saying that I can get the Z-Visa before I get there? The conversations I have been having involve taking care of business after arrival. If a Z-visa can be obtained at the LA consulate with a letter from a doctor I could be in business. If I have to go to China first, I have some serious reservations about being able to pull it off.

Please advise-

[Roger]

The medical exams in China are highly farcical and not to be worried about! I have undergone half a dozen, and the only certainty I have now is that they are positively interested in your HIV status, not in your heart condition.
However, I had to do ECG's too - if I remember well, not every time, but most of those times.
I think if your doctor can certify that your disease is not life-threatening you are not to worry!

And no, you canNOT obtain a work visa on your own! Only if your employer wants you to apply (with documentation supplied by them!) can you get it in your home country! In that case, you will have to undergo a medical exam there, and foot the bill for both the exam and for the visa!
Arriving in China on a tourist visa is common. You will then be taken to a designated clinic here, and the school will apply for your visa - PROVIDED THEY HAVE PROMISED YOU JUST THAT IN THEIR CONTRACT!!!
In this case, all expenses are borne by your school!

[davis]

Roger has some good advice. Especially about physical demands. When I got married I had to have an ECG but the school physical involved only a blood test. The summers here can be intense with the heat and humidity. If your heart's set on coming(no pun intended) I wouldn't not come because of not having a Z visa. But I would consider the health factor. Good luck on whatever you decide.

[Kurochan]

I heard that starting last year people 55 and over will not be given health exams. Really, the government is interested in keeping people with HIV out of China, and they are assuming people over that age are too old to have it, or to fool around and spread it. They don't really care if you keel over with a heart attack or not!

When the teachers at my school went to get their physicals, the doctor took one guy's EEG, tore it in two, stapled half of it to a different teacher's form, and told her, "Now yours is done too." They might not even examine you.

And, my health certificate clearly states that I am male. Even a casual observer should be able to tell that I'm not. So, that lets you know how reliable they are!

[MyTurnNow]

Hi!
You can get the Z Visa in the USA, but as indicated you must have an invitation letter and other documents from your employer in China. And you still have to follow that up with the Residency Permit and Foreign Expert Certificate in the city where you are working...and THAT's where the Chinese medical exam will happen.

Some of the advice you've gotten here is great and some is highly questionable. It is possible that your doctor will be a baijiu-soaked functionary who just wants to return to his nap and won't even glance at your results beyond the AIDS test. It's also possible that you'll get a zealot who will hold you to the letter of the law. There is no way of knowing until you walk through the door.

It is indeed possible to enter China on a tourist visa and then get a work visa afterwards. No problem with that. This procedure does involve leaving China again and re-entering on the new visa- the usual site for this is Hong Kong, which as the headlines indicate is a real travel bargain right now. Your employer should indeed pay for the visa itself, but they may or may not pay for your trip to HK and back. And once you do have the Z visa this way, you STILL have to get Residency and the FEC, and that entails the medical exam.

What I was advising against was continuing to work or live here on a tourist or business visa. Sure, it's common, but it's also illegal and those who do so run a risk of trouble because of it. Some unethical schools (pardon the redundancy ) will give you bad advice to save themselves time and money; a lot of people on those other visas don't even KNOW they are running the risk. The fact is that you can only legally draw a salary here if you have a Z visa with a Residency Permit and a Foreign Expert Certificate.

Some of what you're hearing is advising you to ignore or skirt around Chinese law. A lot of foreigners (including sometimes me) get comfortable here and forget that they are highly visible here and living in the fishbowl. Small things CAN HAPPEN...and if you are not fully legal these can cascade into big things, and you will pay a price for it. My own preference, and my advice, is to strictly follow the rules when it comes to residency documents here.

Good luck,
MT