Job Discussion Forums

[Long ai gu]

I currently work in a horrible city at a horrible college and I want out. I just got a great offer to teach in Qingdao and the school is waiting for me and will except me without a release letter from my current school, which won't give me one. My question is: What can I do when this visa expires, can I go to Hong Kong and get somekind of a work visa or other visa to re-enter China again? Will they ask me for a letter from the school that the current permits are in the name of? Are there any other avenues I can go down that you know, maybe a company or a web-site that can help me. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Steppenwolf]

How to answer your question since youprovide so few details?

Vitally important: what kind of visa do you have? How long is it valid?

The visa office in HK is run bythe Central Government, so they would have to have a valid reason for cancelling your current visa and issuing youwith a new one.

Your alternative options are:
- Get a visa throguh a travel agent and have yourfuture employer take
care of the red tape in Qingdao if that is at all possible;
-get a new passport.

[Long ai gu]

Steppenwolf, I have a foreign experts certificate that expires July 31, 2007. I have a resident permit in my passport good til May 27, 2007, when my current passport expires. I will get another passport in China before it expires. When the resident permit expires can i get another visa of somekind in Hong Kong or elsewhere without the letter from the school that issued it to me? Same question with the foreign experts cert., the school name is in that one. I don't want them to cancel anything I just want new legal papers when my old ones expire without having to present any letters from the school who issued them to me.

[Millerlong]

Why does everyone think "Hong Kong" when they need a visa??? A new visa is done just as easily by an agent in China and no need to visit HK. HK is expensive and a waste of time if you are only going there to get a new visa. I know of many agents in Shanghai that offer visa service that works out much cheaper than if you went to HK to get it done.

[Francois]

You do have to remember that rog is an *beep*

[WordUp]

http://journeyeast.org/News/hong_kong_visas.htm

Maps and suggestions where to stay and also some documentation advice..

If the school will not issue you a letter of release then just have the new school in Qingdao issue you the proper invitation documents as if you were a new teacher coming to China for the first time.

Reason why you want to get the invitation documents in advance is because if you go to HK and then come back the school may not be able to convert your F visa to Z in order to get the resident permit, nor may it be possible for them to convert directly from F to residence permit (which is possible in many locations) << ask the school to inquire what they can and cannot do >>

Many places in China cannot convert or extend your visa, in fact emoo.net offers a good service, they are based in Shanghai and can process your visa by mail if you mail them your passport.

However they cannot make your F visa to be Z visa without proper invitation and unless you are to be working in Shanghai.. They can however extend visas and coinvert from L to F and do fancy things like getting multi-entry visas but they cannot make F to be Z visa if you are living and working someplace else..

In fact many places in China will not convert L or F visas to Z, and the few places that will the schools often don't know how to go about it as the information is confusing and officials often contradict one another..

If all resources are exhausted and you feel you need to go to Hong Kong check out the link above. It may help.

Good luck

[Steppenwolf]

[jeffinflorida]

OP keep in mind that if you leave your current employer and they have your Z visa RP INVALIDATED then you may not know this until you try to leave China.

If this happens, the Chinese MAY not let you leave without assesing you a hefty fine.

So just because your visa shows and expiration date it can be voided if your current employer tells the PSB / Visa people that you no longer work there.

Don't assume your visa is still valid when you change schools and don't assume your school can work wonders by extending / changing the visa for you.

Some schools CAN work wonders and some can not.

The bottom line is if you chage schools and the visa is not changed / updated and you try to leave the country you can be royally screwed.

keep tabs on this issue and make sure the school can do what they promise.

if you overstay the chinese gov't will blame you, not your school. Same goes with the fines.

[Long ai gu]

Thanx for your help folks, but i guess I better just sleep in the bed that i have made. I will try to preserve what sanity i have left and stay in this horrid place---cry me a river...

[ChinaAndrew]

there is no need to go to hong kong. let your new employer do that for you.they will wave their magic wand and it will be taken care of. the law here is very flexible.i went through a similar problem in jiang su province.if they insist on you taking a little trip then it is from their pocket, they want to hire you after all.but rest assured these kind of situations are common in china your new employer will know how to go about it.After two years here I have given up on trying to figure out how chinese people go about their business.I've worked in schools that hire college graduates with no degree,no t.e.f.l. certification, no experience.they just make up the paperwork.I have had visas cancelled then renewed without any release letter or medical exam.So I don't think you have anything to worry about