Job Discussion Forums

[Gamecock]

A question for those of you who may have had a similar experience.

I am changing jobs from a university in Guangdong to a university in Jiangsu. My current contract and residence permit expires on June 17, and am in the process this week of getting my passport and all my documents to my new school via EMS so they can change over my residence permit and FEC. Because of my work schedule it is impossible for me to go to Jiangsu in person before the end of my contract.

My future employer is very worried that the new residence permit cannot be processed before the expiry date of June 17 (Even though they will have a full 4 weeks to get it done).

Now I know that in China people are not always the most competent and government bureacracy varies from city to city, but the main question I have is if all the document are in the PSB's hands next week and for some reason they can't finalize my new residence permit before the old one expires (June 17), will I be ok since my docs are in process at the overstay date? Or will I be fined? Or will the PSB simply reject the application and say there is not enough time to process everything and I'll be heading out of China to get a Z-visa and start all over?

I keep trying to get my future employer to call and ask this question of the PSB, but she doesn't seem to grasp my meaning and keeps going on in a tither about there perhaps not being enough time...

Has anyone experienced something similar?

[Mister Al]

I'm pretty sure that as long as the documents are in order and the application for a new RP is submitted before the expiry of the old RP you will have no problems.

[Teatime of Soul]

You send your FEC, medical exam results, passport and letter of reference by express mail to the new employer. They can have it done within 3 days if they are on the ball.

Remember, the clock stops when the PSB take custody of your passport for processing.

[mat chen]

Tea Time you are very in touch with the Chinese system. Good to have you on board here.

[xjgirl]

For changing schools like this,most PSB's will require you to be there in person

[xjgirl]

the reasoning behind this is that a foreigner should never be seperated from their passport, at least that's the reason they'll give u

[teachaus]

There are 2 things that have to happen both of which take "time". The FEC transfer or the new FEC needs to be processed before it (and the other things) can be used to apply for the new Residency permit. Added to that is the fact that, at least in my city the university can only go to the office to apply for FEC a couple of times in the week and that can complicate things. But even with that the four week timeframe is not "impossible. Where I am I think it would take a week for the FEC (from when it is submitted) and a week for the Residency permit (from when it is submitted) as long as there are no complications, forms missing etc. I am in a similar position at the moment, moving to a different university in the same city and need my passport back by 21 June. I will be doing the new medical (because my previous one is 2 years old so now invalid) and giving them all of the paperwork on Monday and they do not expect any problems.

[dog backwards]

[Gamecock]

Well, for anyone curious about this process (at least going from Guangdong to Suzhou ...like a bureacracy things can and do change from place to place)...

I was due for a new medical exam whether I stayed at my new job or moved, so YES had to get that done. If within a year of my last medical check I could just send the old one. A medical exam here in Zhuhai is accepted in Suzhou.

So, passport, medical check book, ORIGINAL degree (this is new in a lot of places, both here in Zhuhai and in Suzhou for any renewal of RP), passport photos, a cancellation of current FEC form, letter or release, and letter of recommendation into an EMS envelope to my new school (Egad, there goes my life in the hands of a Chinese courier!), and it is no problem to get my new RP before my deadline in a few weeks.

The application for my new FEC has been started online already, before they even had my docs. So in some places this has streamlined the FEC process a bit.

I'm told I should have my new FEC/RP soon, no problem. Of course, I dont have it YET...

[xjgirl]

interesting abou the degree.

Do you mean they requested the original document that was conferred on you at your graduation ceremony?

and the letter of release, was it a form that had to be filled in? or just a normal letter?

[xjgirl]

the fact everything will be online means everything will be more easy to
document, so people thinking of doing midnight runs, should think twice

[Gamecock]

The degree thing is new this year. I know here in Zhuhai that ALL the teachers renewing their contracts had to submit their original degree (yes the document you received at graduation) to the PSB for inspection.

Seems utterly ridiculous to me and a good way to get your diploma lost. Seems like official transcripts would be more useful if they were trying to weed out fake degress. But this is China! Why go with reasonable or logical. I'm sure the little man behind the window can "feel" if it is an authentic document by looking at it in person. After all, university degrees are all almost the same!

The letter of release is not really a letter, but the standard form that shows you fulfilled your contract or somethng, with the official 99 cent red star stamp on it.

[Gamecock]

xjgirl wrote:

[xjgirl]

this kind of information should really be in a sticky on Dave's.

It could be called "EVER CHANGING REQUIREMENTS BY AREA"

I'm sure most of our original degrees are framed up on a wall in our parent's house or something. I wonder how fast I could get mine in a pinch next month

[sainthood]

Gamecock, since you're in Zhuhai, why not just jump over to HK and get yourself a new 3 month visa? You can get it in 1 day, and save yourself a lot of anxiety.

(FTR, it's what I've been recommended, cos I'm in the same boat... though with a bit longer on the clock, and no contract as yet).