Job Discussion Forums

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

Thank you for the update. So many don't do that so it's appreciated. Good luck.

Teatime of Soul · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 905

When your school submits your documents for an invitation letter they receive a colorful blue form with embossed red numbers.

This form has a perforated top that duplicate those red letters, as well as the name of the employer.

The school tears off and keeps this perforated top of the form.

The school then sends you the Invitation Letter, which in turn you submit to a Chinese Embassy/consulate. In return, they place a Z Visa sticker in your passport, which allows you entry into China for 30 days during which you must have your Z Visa augmented by a Foreign Residence Permit.

Now, to make sure that the employee has not errantly strayed to the wrong employer, and that the employer has not errantly attempted to hire an employee on another employers Z Visa, that top perforated portion must be submitted by the employer to the local officials.

No number match, no job.

This control check is by and large, invisible to the FT so many may be unaware of the process.

evaforsure · Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 1217

middlekmissie · Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 1

Obviously, you had some hard luck in this situation, and I'm sorry to hear of it. However, I worked at this school for the two years preceding the period in question, and I wanted to share my experience.

(Full disclosure: I was contacted by a former coworker who is still employed at the school. She asked me to do this; however, when I read your post, I also wanted to put my two cents in, mostly on behalf of the students.)