Job Discussion Forums

[Trillian]

We are currently teaching at a school where we signed the contract before our visas were processed. The contract goes until the 10th of April while our visas expire on the 30the of March. The school is trying to make us stay until the 30th of March before giving us our airfare money, obviously making it impossible to get to a new school or get our visas renewed before they expire. Is there any precedent for this? Does anyone know if they can really do this given the contract?

[Roger]

The short answer to your problem would be for you to simply go along with them, postpone your intended departure tosome day early in April and cash your airfare before.
How can you achieve this legally?
Yousimply go to the PSB and request a visa extension, say, for tourist purposes or for the plain fact that your employer will pay you late.

There ought to be no insurmountable hurdle for you to obtain a visa extensionso long as you have been a legal resident (registered with the PSB as per residence permit).

As said, this is the SHORT answer; the LONG one would take too much space (and others might be more willing to go into the nitty-gritty in describing it and in the process disagree with each other).
I assure you the SHORT answer is the least painful one!

[Trillian]

We're continuing teaching for another year here, so we need to keep our work visas

[Midlothian Mapleheart]

Edited to remove offensive content.

Middy

[Super Mario]

I'm assuming we're talking a Z visa here; otherwise you're working illegally anyway.
The work visa is only issued to allow enough time for your employer to arrange a residents permit and an FE card for you. These documents are valid for 12 months. Do you have them? Are you covered? If so, the date on your passport Z visa is of no consequence. I worked for 3 years on a 3 month Z visa, legally, because the other 2 pieces were updated annually.
However, if you don't have these two little books [one red, one green], or if you are working on an L or F visa, you've been stiffed by your employer.
Sadly, you're the ones who'll be punished if found out.

[Roger]

[tgb]

Give the OP a break Roger, they're asking for help not your credit card details!

OP - my school provides us with visas which last till around 10 days after our contract ends. I agree with other posters that you should negotiate quickly with your school and try to get them to extend your visa for a month, that should give you plenty time to do anything you want.

If not, as others have said, its a trip to the PSB and get a tourist extension, but dont leave that till the day your visa expires, they will be testy.

James

[Super Mario]

The Z visa is valid for long enough for your employer to arrange your Foreign Expert and residents documents. Is this not clear? What is this talk of "visas" that cover your period of employment?

[Trillian]

Our visas are the new form a work visas which are not actually called Z visas anymore. They're simply called "work" visas and yes, they are for a stated period of time (until March 30 in this case), which is the same expiration date for the red foreign experts certificate book.

This is the fourth school I'll be working for in China over that past two years without ever being asked for any kind of release letter from a previous employer. That might be one of the many generally ignored laws, but it hasn't come up yet with any schools I've signed on with.

And seriously, Roger, if you've got nothing better to do than gripe about people's question formats, it's time to get out of China.

Thanks for all the imput everyone.

[dajiang]

So these are F visas then? Nothing new about F visas, which are 'business visa' meant for business people who travel/stay in China for professional reasons but do not actually work there. Lots of FT's have them during their teaching gigs though, which works fine in most cases.

For what period of time has your visa been issued?
6 months/3 months? have you had an extension before?

You can extend F visas for up to a year max. Longer than a year and youll have to leave the country (HK) and come back.

You can go to any visa agency (if youre in a big city) and they'll take care of it (make sure your school pays the bill though).
If youre in a small place just have the school extend the visa for you.
They'll have contacts in the PSB office to get this done without any problems. You can go there yourself as well, but take someone from the school to accompany you.

Of course you will have to insist they make your visas in order, otherwise don't teach. To overstay your visa is expensive and illegal, and will take up much of your airfare money.

in which city are you btw?
Dajiang

[Trillian]

It's not an F visa. Maybe it's just a Xinjiang thing, I'm not sure, but they don't issue the letter visas here. What I've got is simply a one year work visa, not Z, F, or L (I've had all of them in other provinces.) I'm in Qitai now about four hours by bus outside of Urumqi.

[Super Mario]

Geez mate, could you scan and show us the page? It doesn't sound like anything we're familiar with. Xinjiang hasn't seceded to become East Turkestan yet, so it must be Chinese.

[Trillian]

We're lucky to have internet out here - scanners are definitely pushing it. I'm told it's the new work visa they're issuing - you can go in and out of the country on it as much as you like without it being cancelled, as opposed to the Z visa which is generally one entry only. I've been to the states and back on it with no trouble.

[Roger]

I said it before: phrase your message in an unambiguous language and you get unambiguous replies!

You don't have a VISA, man: you have qa residence permit sticker that takes care of your former work visa!

[Roger]

I said it before: phrase your message in an unambiguous language and you get unambiguous replies!

You don't have a VISA, man: you have qa residence permit sticker that takes care of your former work visa!