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Getting a second visa with another school question
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askiptochina



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:33 pm    Post subject: Getting a second visa with another school question Reply with quote

I am curious how this is supposed to work. I understand there is supposed to be a book which looks like a passport and has some vital work information about me. I already have 2 visas stamped in my passport, and I got like 3 residence permits, but apparently there is something else needed.

I have been told several stories.

1) I don't need it, I need to get a new one with the new school.
2) I need it and the Entry/Exit Bureau Office will update it with the new school.
3) I need it and the Entry/Exit Bureau Office will cancel it, and then issue me a new one.
4) I don't need it. The old school needs it. They will give it to their Entry/Exit Bureau Office. Then, the Entry/Exit Bureau Office there will cancel it. After that, my new school will go to their Entry/Exit Bureau Office and get a new one.

I was in Shenyang, now I am in Beijing. What exactly is the procedure? Any of the 4 apply or is there a 5th?
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Lobster



Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2040
Location: Somewhere under the Sea

PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It sounds like you're referring to your Foreign Expert's Certificate (FEC). For your new job, you will return the FEC (make a copy first), get your release letter and recommendation from your old employer.

The FEC is not transferable to another province, so you'll need a new one. Your new employer will get it for you. They will also arrange a new resident's permit when the old one is about to expire. So basically it's #4 on your list, except the Entry/Exit Bureau isn't the issuing authority for FECs.

RED
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askiptochina



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
For your new job, you will return the FEC (make a copy first)


Return the FEC from whom to whom? Do I have to go back to Shenyang in person? Can the school send it to me in Beijing? Is it useless here in Beijing to "return"? Can the school in Shenyang return it to the Entry/Exit Bureau without me going to Shenyang?

Quote:
except the Entry/Exit Bureau isn't the issuing authority for FECs.


Who is the issuing authority then for FECs? Does this mean I have to go to Hong Kong or Korea anyway just for a new FEC in another area?
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chengdude



Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 294

PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did you ever see or have possession of a "book which looks like a passport"? Dark blue? Your mug shot on the first page? If no, then your previous employer probably never gave it to you and, thus, no worries. Your new employer doesn't need it. They should, however, be asking you for a Letter of Release indicating all is well with your previous employer.

Depending where you are in China, the Foreign Experts Certificate is issued by the provincial Foreign Experts Bureau or Foreign Affairs Office. Your new employer should take care of everything; typically they ask you for a couple of photos and that's it.
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wangdaning



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 3154

PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No real vital information in the FEC, just your employers name, your occupation, and your current (previous I think for you) address.
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Lobster



Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2040
Location: Somewhere under the Sea

PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, forget the Entry/Exit Bureau here. That department deals with visas and residents' permits. Your new employer will deal with that too when your current RP is about to expire.

The issue is whether you have your FEC from the Shenyang school and a letter of release. If they never gave you your FEC, either they just held it or never obtained it. Either way, let your new employer know what you have for documentation. They will take your documents to the Education Bureau.

Be sure to register your address with the police right away, or you will have trouble getting a new FEC or RP.

RED
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askiptochina



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the feedback.

So far:

1. They already updated my address when I moved here in April. That part is done.

2. The whole point of making this thread is that my school in Beijing already went to get my new visa. That is when they said they needed the book. The school in Shenyang already gave them a letter of release but it seems like that is not good enough.

Perhaps the letter of release was not "official" looking. Is there another letter of release form they could use?
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Lobster



Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2040
Location: Somewhere under the Sea

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Perhaps the letter of release was not "official" looking. Is there another letter of release form they could use?


Of course we have no idea what they gave you. the official release form is in Chinese; a one-page affair with check boxes and room for some scribbled comments. It must bear the chop of the entity that hired you.

You employer is trying to do things arse-backwards. First they take a copy of your degree and teaching certificate, along with your resume, to the Education Bureau to get your new FEC. Then they take that (not the ShenYang FEC) and your passport and release letter to the Entry/Exit Bureau to get your new RP. Have they ever even hired an FT before? They will also need a copy of your contract for the FEC and RP, and their business licence and the documents that state they have the authority to hire foreigners for the RP. You may also require a medical exam printout.

Good luck with these people. Let's hope your RP doesn't expire before they figure it out.

RED
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choudoufu



Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

askiptochina wrote:
.....The whole point of making this thread is that my school in Beijing already went to get my new visa. That is when they said they needed the book.....


new visa?

what kind of visas(s) do you have in your passport? L,Z,F?

and when you say residence permit.........do you mean the
residence permit that looks similar to the visa that is glued
into your passport? or the slip of paper you get when you
register your address with the neighborhood psb?

FEC? see here--> http://www.jobschina.org/China_Library_Index/LINK_PAGE/Foreign_Experts_in_China/Documents_for_Foreign_Experts/0060622_Foreign_Experts_Certificate_-_Example.pdf
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askiptochina



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Of course we have no idea what they gave you.

They didn't give me anything. All I am being told is what my current school is telling me. They think they need the passport looking book.

I AM THE FRIGGIN MAN IN THE MIDDLE. I don't know what is needed!!!

The school doesn't know for certain. They think they need the book, that is why I posted the thread. I am trying to help them out.

Quote:
do you mean the
residence permit that looks similar to the visa that is glued
into your passport? or the slip of paper you get when you
register your address with the neighborhood psb?


I have both, multiple times.
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Lobster



Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2040
Location: Somewhere under the Sea

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whaaaa. I thought ShenYang gave you a release form!

OK, you want to help your school out, look at my previous post. I understand you're stuck in the middle.

You are confusing us with talk of a new "visa". That why Chou is asking you what you currently have in your passport. You use a visa to enter China, then change it to a Resident's Permit (RP) within 30 days. If you don't leave the country, you renew that.

We understand that ShenYang didn't give you your Foreign Expert's Certificate (the little book) or a copy. It doesn't matter. If you're in a different province now, it's no longer valid anyway. You would have been expected to return it to the ShenYang school anyway, so no way the old one is required. However, a new one is!

Tell your FAO they need all the documents I listed, and the E/E Bureau may request more.

The point is still that your school's doing things backwards; in the wrong order.

1. Get the new FEC from the Education Bureau
2. Renew the RP at the Entry/Exit Bureau

We clear so far?

RED
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askiptochina



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
1. Get the new FEC from the Education Bureau
2. Renew the RP at the Entry/Exit Bureau

We clear so far?

RED


Yes that part is new and I will relay it to my school.

Quote:
I thought ShenYang gave you a release form!


That's what I thought too. Apparently what they gave was unacceptable to whomever my new school went to. I will clear it up tomorrow (Monday).

Quote:
You are confusing us with talk of a new "visa".


I tried to eliminate confusion by making the thread "Getting a second visa with another school"

If I said simply "renew" you wouldn't know if I was renewing with the same or old school. The fact is, and in spades, I do in fact need NEW. I need a whole new booklet!!
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choudoufu



Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC

PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="askiptochina"]
Quote:

Quote:
You are confusing us with talk of a new "visa".


I tried to eliminate confusion by making the thread "Getting a second visa with another school"

If I said simply "renew" you wouldn't know if I was renewing with the same or old school. The fact is, and in spades, I do in fact need NEW. I need a whole new booklet!!



let's try this again. you are here legally. working as a teacher.
you have a z-visa (cancelled) and residence permit(s) in your passport.
one of those RP's is still valid.

you DO NOT need a new visa. you DO NOT need to renew a visa.
your cancelled z-visa is good essentially forever (as long as your
RP doesn't expire). a visa allows you to enter the country. you are
already in the country. your RP allows you to stay, and functions as
a multiple-entry visa in case you want to leave for a short time. so
when you go home for xmas, when you come back to china, you
enter using your RP, not the z-visa.

you're going to another province, so you will need a new expert cert,
and a new RP. both will be valid for the duration of your official
signed & stamped safea approved contract.

i just went through the whole process of switching to a new school
in a new province. here's the process:

*provided the fao with scans of all my info: passport, fec, health
certificate, expert certificate, diplomas, resume, release letter (the
chinese form letter), recommendation letter (in english). much of
this was given to the foreign experts bureau to begin processing
the new expert certificate.

*fao prepared contract. we negotiated. fao revised contract, sent
me copy by ems. i signed contract and returned.

*end of semester, about a week before my RP expired, travelled to
new school, moved into the on-campus apartment. (sunday)

*fao takes my passport to local PSB to register my address. that
afternoon, i get my passport back, plus a copy of the registration
paper. (monday)

*next morning, we get my health exam done. paid an extra 100 rmb
for rush service. then we drive to the beach to relax for a few hours,
then we go to lunch, then we go for coffee. mid-afternoon we go
back to the health clinic and pick up the health certificate. then we
go to the foreign expert bureau and get the expert certificate. and
finally we drive to the PSB office and apply for the new RP. ten
minutes later we walk out with a receipt for my passport and a
promise that we can pick up the passport with RP in five working
days. (tuesday)

*wait. (wednesday-tuesday)
will call monday afternoon to check status. or just go in wednesday
morning.

fao had told me to bring all my originals just in case. nothing was
needed. so far, it's been painless. expert bureau only needed to see
the new health certificate. PSB checked the health and expert
certificates, but were much more interested in the school's
documentation.
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askiptochina



Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
you have a z-visa (cancelled) and residence permit(s) in your passport.


No, the z-visa as far as I know is NOT cancelled. It will be transferred to the new school. If it were cancelled my understanding is that I would need to go to Hong Kong or Korea with new documents (new invitation letter) and get a NEW visa. Then I could return to China on this new visa.

Quote:
you DO NOT need a new visa. you DO NOT need to renew a visa.


Right, I want to extend the existing one. I want a second visa with another school.
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choudoufu



Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC

PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

askiptochina wrote:
Quote:
you have a z-visa (cancelled) and residence permit(s) in your passport.


No, the z-visa as far as I know is NOT cancelled. It will be transferred to the new school. If it were cancelled my understanding is that I would need to go to Hong Kong or Korea with new documents (new invitation letter) and get a NEW visa. Then I could return to China on this new visa.

Quote:
you DO NOT need a new visa. you DO NOT need to renew a visa.


Right, I want to extend the existing one. I want a second visa with another school.


check your passport. the z-visa should have been stamped cancelled
when your residence permit was issued.

you DO NOT need a second visa, dude, as long as your residence permit
is still valid at the time you apply for the new residence permit.

you DO NOT need a new, second, extended, renewed, reissued,
re-whatevered visa!!!
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