Job Discussion Forums

[andre818]

This is driving me crazy. I read 15 pages through the visa topic and still can't find an answer.

My situation: I am currently in Armenia visiting relatives after my contract completion in Russia for ESL teaching. I have applied for positions online and have received couple of job offers. I am a USA citizen.

Question: Do I have to go back to USA to get my invitation for a Z-visa or can that be done from the Chinese embassy in Armenia? I really do not want to go back to USA as this is going to cost me a lot of money and time.

Please, if you do not know the answer to this, do not tell me to find the thread on another page. Either give me link to the thread or kindly give me an answer, only if you know. Thank you for all your help.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Ask the school in question. Different schools have different abilities regarding visas.

In theory, one is supposed to get the visa from the applicant's country of origin. But from what I can reckon, it is not the case. Most schools advertised what you to show up first and they get the visa in country or send you to Hong Kong to do the visa work.

Again, ask the school that is hiring how they handle the visa and plan accordingly.

Good luck.

(PS)

And no sorry, I don't want to go through 15 pages of visa threads for you.

[andre818]

Thank you for your response. Although it was not the answer that I was looking for, I appreciate the fact that you did not tell me to go and look through 15 pages. I'm sorry that I'm so stuck onto this "15 page" thing, its just that one guy got on my nerves by telling me to look through them and not be lazy.

PS: I wasn't expecting for you to look through 15 pages for me. sorry for the misunderstanding.

[askiptochina]

You don't need to go through 15 page threads. If you work with the recruiter you will get the latest steps.

Asking us and looking through previous threads will only help you with previous procedures which may or may not apply today.

[dean_a_jones]

Here are some further ideas.

I don't know about Armenia. I know that increasingly in Europe, people who are travelling (i.e. people from Australia or the USA) have had trouble applying for Chinese visas in, say, Germany. They are being told by the embassy that unless they are residents, they need to apply from their home country. This is for both work and general tourist visas, and I have seen these complaints on forums like Lonely Planet.

I would not expect a recruiter to know much about this, they seem not to always know all the rules (despite whether they should or not). Plus you are asking about a relatively minor country, I don't imagine many Americans are looking to get Chinese visas while there. You could try travel forums like Lonely Planet to see if anyone there has direct experience, just be specific when you ask the question. You could also try any visa agencies in town to see if they can give you an answer (perhaps they can apply rather than you, for a fee of course, and this might work. I have heard this can work in other places where a direct application is not possible).

At the end of the day, a lot of people figure out they cannot get what they want when they apply and then are declined.

Two things to keep in mind. If you are applying outside of your home country, the paperwork the school provides needs to reflect this (as it states which embassy you are going to need to go to). It might also be easier for you to apply in Hong Kong for the visa, rather than where you are. That might also be easier than making a trip back to the USA, if Armenia will not work. The problem you have is once the paperwork is issued, one of the documents is place specific, so if you apply in Armenia and it does not work, you cannot just take it to HK or the USA and apply there instead.

As others have noted, the rules are constantly changing and are not always applied in the same way everywhere. In the end, until you have the visa in your passport, it is not really that easy for anyone to give you a firm answer on what will work and what will not. Do not trust the school/recruiter if you ask them and they spit out a definite answer straight away, as they usually don't seem to know but know they want you to think they know. Try contacting the embassy directly with your question, although getting a response is sometimes difficult.

Hope that helps.

[JamesD]

EDIT

Had to delete my post as Dean said it much better.

I can tell you that MANY years ago I was in Belgium and got the visa there because I asked them to specify Belgium on the letter.

[choudoufu]

how 'bout your russian residence permit? you had a russian work
visa for your esl job there. still valid? will you be returning to
russia after your visit in armenia?

sometimes better luck is had applying in a third country if you're
there on a long-term visa rather than a tourist visa.

or....

....you could call the chinese embassy in armenia.

[Ariadne]

Or, you could ask the school to send the documents to you in Armenia, with HK designated as the place you will apply for the Z visa. Plan your travel with a layover of 2 or 3 days in HK and get your visa there before continuing on to your destination.

One more idea... have them send all the documents to you in Armenia with the US designated as the place you will apply for the Z visa. Send all the docs and your passport to a visa agent in the US. Have them send everything back to you in Armenia, then travel directly to your destination.

Hope you get it all sorted. Good luck to you.

.

[choudoufu]

[Ariadne]

It may be a tricky one, but not because of the entry stamp... we don't get them stamped when we go in and out.

.

[ryan1981]

Are your still in Armenia?

If you get stuck here and want to meet up let me know. It would be nice converse with a fellow TEFL-er, especially as I haven't spoken with an American in quite a while.