Job Discussion Forums

[jyl2011]

Hi there. Merry Christmas everyone!

I have recently been corresponding with an employer. The school is based in a major Chinese city and the operation seems sound, unlike many other places in China. I asked them about the working VISA for myself and also an attachment VISA for my wife. They seem very interested in me and they told me the following information. Could you please tell me what you make of this...

- They said that I would not get a working VISA in advance. Myself and my wife would arrive on tourist VISA's and we would fill in the landing cards contact section with the name of the school.

- They said that I would then convert this to a working VISA with the comprehensive help of the school, i.e: they would come with me to fill out the forms, complete the medical check in China etc.

- They said that whilst they would not sponsor my wife for a working VISA (of course), and that the school would not directly apply for any form of VISA for her, they would indeed put me onto the right road in terms of making her legal etc. (The suggestion was for her to come to China on a tourist VISA and if she didn't find work in time to convert this to a Spouse VISA).

I think it is relevant to say that the school is in Beijing, seeing as different areas of China have different rules.

Any feedback appreciated.

Thank you.

[choudoufu]

[steve b]

I paid for my own Z visa in advance before I came to China.

[jyl2011]

They said that they would cover the cost of the VISA process and the medical check too.

No mention was made of Hong Kong so unless they sprung something like that on me once I arrived I will complete the process in Beijing.

[Cyberkada]

[therock]

Bear in mind that some provinces / cities require applicants to apply in their home country and will not issue invitation letters allowing applicants to apply in Hong Kong.

[jyl2011]

Thanks guys, but I'm a little confused...

Are you saying that it will be impossible to attain a work VISA and a dependent VISA for my wife in Beijing? Are the company in fact leading me down the garden path?

Thanks

[Cyberkada]

[Miles Smiles]

Bottom line: If the outfit were authorized to hire foreign workers, it would take the normal route of submitting your documents to the Ministry of Education which, in turn, would issue a letter of invitation to you to be employed by the school. You, in turn, would submit your letter of invitation and associated paperwork to the Chinese consulate in your jurisdiction. Upon acceptance of your paperwork, the Chinese consulate would affix a Z visa to your passport whereupon your arrival, you would undergo medical evaluations. Upon passing this evaluations, you'd be issued residence permits.

There are probably other ways of working legally in China, but to circumvent the normal route is asking for trouble.

[randyj]

[roadwalker]

As mentioned above, you will lose your bargaining power on arrival. Of course you don't have to work for that company, but they also don't have any obligations towards you. If they don't like the way you look, or teach etc, they can simply show you the door.

A z-visa invitation is not a guarantee of anything either, but it shows that the company invested time, efforts and money into bringing you to China. They are much more likely to be serious about hiring you, and much more likely to be legally entitled to hire foreigners (check who the sponsoring entity is- your school? or some other outfit?).

[dean_a_jones]

You are placing far too much trust in the company and underthinking the potential pitfalls in terms of the process.

China is not the place to come to full of optimism, assuming everything will fall into place and when you hit a bump someone will happily assist you.

It can be a fun and rewarding place to teach and live, but come here naively and without a clear picture of what employers are like, what to expect (in terms of the way things should be, and what is likely to go wrong) and you will probably find yourself taken advantage of.

Arriving on the wrong visa (with a dependent) for a company that is promising to sort everything out on arrival: it might work. But I would expect to arrive and have them tell you to work on a tourist visa. As you are working illegally, nothing like a contract matters, so they can do what they want in terms of housing, pay, hours etc. just to see how "flexible" you are. If you are happy with this, then go for it. As I said, it might all work out, but I would plan for the worst if you decide to come over for an employer the way they are asking you to.

[roadwalker]

[steve b]

Absolutely. My school paid for everything else after arrival.

[doogsville]

The operation is not sound, not by a long way.

Find another job, one with an employer who gives you the necessary paperwork to get your Z visa in your own country, which they will then convert into a resident permit upon your arrival. That's the only legal route to China, and while the pros and cons of working on a tourist visa are debated endlessly on these forums, the bottom line is that any employer who cannot give you the documents to allow you to get the Z visa cannot legally get you a residents permit once you arrive.

Ask yourself this. Would you take a job at home with a company that said it wanted to pay you cash, because they couldn't give you a contract, or insurance, or legally employ you right now, but if you came to work with them for a while they would do all of those things eventually? That's pretty much what you would be coming to do, but in a foreign country where you have minimal rights or legal protection and could at best be deported or at worst go to prison.

There are enough legitimate jobs with legitimate company's available. You don't need to come here and work illegally.