Job Discussion Forums

[lchazl]

Hi guys,

I'm just about ready to get my visa for my Uni job in Shanghai and bomb is sort of dropped. I've looked on the Visa Sticky post but could not find this.

Background:

I get the "Working Permit" the University's own "Invitation Letter" in the mail, now I'm ready to get my Z-Visa at my local consulate.

The Uni just emailed me saying the consulate would like to have the Visa Notice from Shanghai local government (The Invite Letter is not enough?). If so, it takes 10 days or more for them to get it.

He now wants me to apply for the L-Visa here and then they'll get my Z-Visa when I'm in Shanghai.

1. I thought that if I had a Working Permit and Invitation Letter, that would be enough to get the Z?

2. If I do actually have to get an L, don't I have to lie in my purpose to go there and all of that stuff on the application?

[Fred Smith]

I recently went through the same thing almost. Except when I got to China I found out the school lied to me and could not get me a real visa and expected me to work the whole time on an L visa. They made me all these promises and once I came here, none of them came true.

So be careful.

[lchazl]

Right, thanks, I talked to my boss there at the Uni and he says to try use the Invitation Letter from him, but if they won't accept it, then just get an L-Visa, I just thought they wouldn't grant me an L since I just tried to get a Z one and they knew my real intentions, but they don't care about that it seems.

[ttorriel]

The process for legal employment is clear.

Anything that makes you consider having to lie is a good indication of a stay-away-er

[Bendex]

The problem is that some Chinese educational establishments who are desperate for FT's will not hesitate to lie to resolve their short-term staffing problems. That's so bad because generally when it comes to the crunch they don't have the necessary clout to deliver on their over-optimistic and unrealistic promises, finally leaving their FT's in the mire.
Actually, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Bureau has the right to change the visa regulations at short notice without giving anyone prior warning, so no-one apart from them can know for sure what will transpire on a particular date at a Chinese visa office re the issuance of a Z visa!
Believe anything or everything that Chinese employers say that doesn't conform to the accepted procedure at your own peril!

[dragon777]

As other poster's have said...stay away. Get another position. Otherwise you are just asking for trouble.

[Hansen]

It's my understanding that the visa gets you in the country. A "Z" visa can be transformed into a residence permit, an "L" visa cannot (I'm open to correction here). Wait the ten more days. If he doesn't deliver, move on. The posters who have said that lying is commonplace are not lying.

Any decent university should be able to provide a "Z" visa without a problem. There may be legitimate, innocuous reasons why they are having problems. Possibly their certification to hire FTs has expired. It takes a few days to renew it.

Your safest bet is to wait the ten more days. If you don't, you could be in for some rude surprises when you arrive.

[chinatwin88]

The invite, was it official or just school documents. I would communicate with the school that as your so committed to working for them and only them, you would prefer to have the intensions clearly indicated by the proper paperwork. Tell them you would choose to wait so that you can show your preference to abide by proper procedure.

[kungfucowboy83]

[yaramaz]

I had my L visa changed to a Z after I arrived, as I was a last minute, mid-term hire last year. I arrived 2 weeks before classes started and they started working on my FEC/Residence Permit immediately- my medical was done a few days after I arrived. It worked out fine. I worked legally. It was an Australian joint venture program in Shanghai, btw, if that makes any difference.