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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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 Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:28 am Post subject: Return to home country for work visa!? Chinese translations? |
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I have signed a contract with a school near Guangzhou who appear go have no idea about how to go about getting a Z visa. They sent me a document with guidelines - like a week before I am about to arrive from Australia!, and I am hoping like hell some parts are wrong. According to them I need to come to China, then return to Australia to get the Z visa processed before returning To China again. This is ridiculous, right? All I would have to do is go to the Chinese consulate in HK, no?
What about Chinese translations of documents and certificates? I am being asked to get my reference letters and my Celta Cert translated into Chinese. Has anyone ever been asked to do this by a school? And what would be the point of translating the Celta Cert? All it has is the name of the school and CELTA! How do you translate "CELTA" anyway! The biggest pain is now working out how to get translations done quickly. I would have thought the school would do this!
This is made all the worse because I am well on way to China now. In Thailand attending a conference They have taken ages to organise this. I can't afford to sit around in hotels for a month waiting for them to get this organised. I have suggested they let me arrive on a tourist visa while they are sorting out the mess. I can move into my apartment, and thus save on hotel money. I think this is a reasonable deal, given we agreed I'd arrive in a few days from now.
BTW, anybody ever had a medical check in Thailand? I assume they would be OK for a China Z Visa.
Sorry to ask these questions, but the school just doesn't seem to know.
| Quote: |
Once having the Working Permit, we need to apply for the invitation letter from The foreign affairs office in Guangzhou.( Foreign teacher must tell me when you return back to Guangzhou. Once confirm the invitation time, can't change it.)
III．Foreign teacher need to go back his/her country, and presents the Working Permit, along with the invitation letter, passport to have his/her Z visa processed at the nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate. |
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Alien abductee
Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Posts: 527
Location: Kuala Lumpur
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:08 am Post subject: |
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Increasingly people are having to get the Z visa at the Chinese consulate in the country in which they have legal residence status. For most people that's their home country, or a third country where they are either working legally or have a second citizenship. It's still possible to get a Z visa at the Wanchai office but less so than in the past.
Re-emphasize to your school your timetable and whereabouts and remind them that you would like to get the Z visa in Hong Kong. When the school lodges your application for invitation letter/work permit with the local authorities (foreign affairs office) in GZ they should point out your request to get the visa in HK, but if the authorities deny it you'll have to head back to Australia, or at least your passport will. By that I mean you could try to courier the passport back to Australia and have a visa service get the Z visa on your behalf, then courier the document back to you. But this will need to be done before you enter China, and since you've pointed out you plan to arrive soon this might not be feasible.
For medical check in Thailand try Samitivej Hospital, Sukhumvit Soi 49. They can probably have it translated into Chinese right there at the hospital. Translating those other documents is probably not necessary but if the local authorities want them before issuing any work permit and such you might have to do get it done. A new teacher coming to our school in Guangdong this month never had to do any of that. |
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Shanghai Noon
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 589
Location: Shanghai, China
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:32 am Post subject: |
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Your school is being run by n00bs. It is common knowledge that Guangdong province does not allow visa runs to Hong Kong because it's too easy.
Last edited by Shanghai Noon on Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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water rat
Joined: 30 Aug 2014
Posts: 1098
Location: North Antarctica
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:41 am Post subject: |
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| Alien Abductee seems well informed, but if they don't have any idea how to get you a Z visa, should you really be working for them? You might do better to forget the whole thing and sign on with a more reputable school/company. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| Shanghai Noon wrote: |
| Tour school is being run by n00bs. It is common knowledge that Guangdong province does not allow visa runs to Hong Kong because it's too easy. |
The school didn't say it was OK to go to HK. I merely asked that question. If I have to return to Australia then I will simply not take up the offer. I just spent $1500 on a return air ticket, and I am sure as hell not going to spend another $1500.
The biggest problem is that the school takes days to respond to email requests, and then doesn't answer the questions I put to them.
The visa guidelines given to me by the school clearly state that I have to front up to the Guangzhou government offices, and then return to Australia, then back to China. Who in their right mind would make two trips to China to process a working visa? And all at their own cost? My contract states I will be reimbursed for one return flight at the end of the contact. But at any rate, forking out three thousand bucks plus other expenses right at the start is madness. |
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Alien abductee
Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Posts: 527
Location: Kuala Lumpur
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:54 am Post subject: |
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Most schools have no clue about visas and what not, but I wouldn't say that makes a bad school. I have first hand experience working for a good school but before I arrived years ago they were worried that by flying into Hong Kong during the summer holiday I'd activate my Z visa too early. I reminded them that the Z visa 30 day clock doesn't start till I cross into the mainland.
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| Who in their right mind would make two trips to China to process a working visa? And all at their own cost? My contract states I will be reimbursed for one return flight at the end of the contact. But at any rate, forking out three thousand bucks plus other expenses right at the start is madness. |
Their thinking is that the applicant, at the time of applying, is already in their home country or in another country where they have legal residence, and thus can get the visa wherever it is they currently reside. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:58 am Post subject: |
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| water rat wrote: |
| Alien Abductee seems well informed, but if they don't have any idea how to get you a Z visa, should you really be working for them? You might do better to forget the whole thing and sign on with a more reputable school/company. |
It seems like a good school, very good salary. Just they don't seem to know anything about visas. And they take ages to respond to emails. I agreed to the offer and signed the contract three weeks ago. I was actually asked to arrive today, March 1, but told them March 8 was best. Contract starts March 15. But yesterday they hit me with all this extra stuff I need to do. And I am already in Thailand!
But yeah. I am one step away from giving them a big miss. I will make one more round of requests, specifying the need for a quick response, and that's it. If they are not compliant I will not follow through. They do have a signed contract, but I assume that wouldn't be a problem for me. |
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water rat
Joined: 30 Aug 2014
Posts: 1098
Location: North Antarctica
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| It seems like a good school, very good salary. Just they don't seem to know anything about visas. And they take ages to respond to emails. |
Listen to yourself. In what way precisely do they see a good school? Why believe the part about salary if the can't even answer emails promptly? |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Alien abductee wrote: |
Re-emphasize to your school your timetable and whereabouts and remind them that you would like to get the Z visa in Hong Kong. When the school lodges your application for invitation letter/work permit with the local authorities (foreign affairs office) in GZ they should point out your request to get the visa in HK, but if the authorities deny it you'll have to head back to Australia, or at least your passport will. By that I mean you could try to courier the passport back to Australia and have a visa service get the Z visa on your behalf, then courier the document back to you. But this will need to be done before you enter China, and since you've pointed out you plan to arrive soon this might not be feasible. |
But it shouldn't matter if I went to Guangzhou on a tourist visa while they are processing this - assuming I can get around the need to go to Australia? Would that affect the visa process? In the past this was pretty normal, I seem to recall. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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| water rat wrote: |
| Quote: |
| It seems like a good school, very good salary. Just they don't seem to know anything about visas. And they take ages to respond to emails. |
Listen to yourself. In what way precisely do they see a good school? Why believe the part about salary if the can't even answer emails promptly? |
It's a fair question. It may be that everything about the place is bad. But in my experience the admin and other aspects of a school can be quite distinct. I have had two skype calls with them, and the people I spoke to seem well intentioned - but undoubtedly inexperienced and disorganised.
Anyway, I am going to give them one more day to give me some straight answers. If they are not forthcoming, I will cut my losses and run. |
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Alien abductee
Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Posts: 527
Location: Kuala Lumpur
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
| Alien abductee wrote: |
Re-emphasize to your school your timetable and whereabouts and remind them that you would like to get the Z visa in Hong Kong. When the school lodges your application for invitation letter/work permit with the local authorities (foreign affairs office) in GZ they should point out your request to get the visa in HK, but if the authorities deny it you'll have to head back to Australia, or at least your passport will. By that I mean you could try to courier the passport back to Australia and have a visa service get the Z visa on your behalf, then courier the document back to you. But this will need to be done before you enter China, and since you've pointed out you plan to arrive soon this might not be feasible. |
But it shouldn't matter if I went to Guangzhou on a tourist visa while they are processing this - assuming I can get around the need to go to Australia? Would that affect the visa process? In the past this was pretty normal, I seem to recall. |
You can be in GZ when they're processing the documents for your Z visa and then you'll need to leave to get the visa somewhere. If you could find a way to get your passport to Australia via some visa service and get the visa that way while you wait in HK or wherever, that could work. |
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bestteacher2012
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 160
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 7:35 pm Post subject: Re: Return to home country for work visa!? Chinese translati |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
I have signed a contract with a school near Guangzhou who appear go have no idea about how to go about getting a Z visa. They sent me a document with guidelines - like a week before I am about to arrive from Australia!, and I am hoping like hell some parts are wrong. According to them I need to come to China, then return to Australia to get the Z visa processed before returning To China again. This is ridiculous, right? All I would have to do is go to the Chinese consulate in HK, no?
What about Chinese translations of documents and certificates? I am being asked to get my reference letters and my Celta Cert translated into Chinese. Has anyone ever been asked to do this by a school? And what would be the point of translating the Celta Cert? All it has is the name of the school and CELTA! How do you translate "CELTA" anyway! The biggest pain is now working out how to get translations done quickly. I would have thought the school would do this!
This is made all the worse because I am well on way to China now. In Thailand attending a conference They have taken ages to organise this. I can't afford to sit around in hotels for a month waiting for them to get this organised. I have suggested they let me arrive on a tourist visa while they are sorting out the mess. I can move into my apartment, and thus save on hotel money. I think this is a reasonable deal, given we agreed I'd arrive in a few days from now.
BTW, anybody ever had a medical check in Thailand? I assume they would be OK for a China Z Visa.
Sorry to ask these questions, but the school just doesn't seem to know.
| Quote: |
Once having the Working Permit, we need to apply for the invitation letter from The foreign affairs office in Guangzhou.( Foreign teacher must tell me when you return back to Guangzhou. Once confirm the invitation time, can't change it.)
III．Foreign teacher need to go back his/her country, and presents the Working Permit, along with the invitation letter, passport to have his/her Z visa processed at the nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate. |
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In Guangzhou, in all of Guangdong actually, foreigners need to apply for their Z visas in their home country or a third country where they have residency rights. They are strict about this in GZ and it's been policy for a number of years now. So unless your employer has some serious guanxi there is no way you will be applying for the Z visa in Hong Kong and will need to return to Australia.
Yes, getting your documents translated into Chinese is necessary, some places in China the school can do it, other places a qualified translator needs to do it and the translation needs to be stamped. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 4:44 am Post subject: |
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Thanks bestteacher and others. That pretty much clears it up. It's been a while since I worked in the mainland, and GZ seems to be a little different from places I worked before.
At any rate, the school is being more prompt in responding now. It being CNY break was a significant barrier to communication with the admin to date. Looks like we may now have found a solution to the problem. |
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