Job Discussion Forums

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

After years of Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea....

After 5 years at the same school in China and learning Chinese in some backwater town.... I have been offered this phenomenal job in Beijing.

The problem is, they tell me I need to go home for a month to process the Z-Visa. I have never heard of this until now.

Are there any teachers now working in Beijing with a Z-visa? Did you have to "go home for a month" to process the visa?

I want this job so badly.... it's more of a "career" than anything else, but I simply cannot afford to not work for a whole month, plus live in Canada for a month, plus be away from my wife for a month, plus find a place for her to stay for a month, give her money to live of off, plus the airfare to and from Canada, then live for a whole month in Beijing waiting for the first month's salary....

It will drain all my savings. Might even have to borrow money from family.

Advice from anyone currently or previously working or had worked in Beijing legally with a Z-visa requested, please. Is there seriously no way to flip my visa in Beijing to a Z-visa? Other schools across China have said no problem. Why is Beijing such a stick in the mud?

-GWoW

Pilot82 · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 150

I'm not to sure about the whole month wait ordeal. You can do a Z visa run in HK if I'm not mistaken.

Mister Al · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 840 Location: In there

You cannot get a Z visa on the mainland. HK is your best option. Ask your new employer to write in their Invitation Letter that you are to apply for your Z visa in HK. In fact insist on it. It should make no difference at all to the employer. If this is not done then you have to go back to Canada to get it.

xiaolongbaolaoxi · Joined: 27 Aug 2009 Posts: 126

(I know I picked it up from this site, but I am not sure which thread, so apologies to whoever I am citing)...

You can get the employer to ask for a change on the letter for the Z visa... basically, get them to say "do it in Hong Kong" instead of Canada.

How to do this ? I don't know, but a friend in Beijing just had the same issue in an different industry, more or less told the FAO "I can't go back to America for a piece of paper, but you can change the letter, and I'll to HK and be back in three days." Presto!

Hope it helps. Congratulations on the amazing job!

XLB

Sinobear · Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Posts: 1269 Location: Purgatory

The thread is here: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=79847&start=15

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

Thanks.

What the school is now saying is that they cannot do it from Hong Kong, it must be the country of my passport origin.

They said from Shanghai it is no problem. But from Beijing, they are being stricter about it these days.

It will literally cost me over 5000 dollars to process the whole thing, so I guess I will just tell them "Thanks, but no thanks".

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Well, you did say the job was "phenomenal". As in "too good to be true"? Since they don't know about the basics of hiring foreigners, they might be bogus. Anybody can get a Z visa in Hong Kong. Anybody that tells you otherwise is WRONG. In addition, the "month in your home country" is definitely not a requirement. Is this job with English First? They have a tendency to come up with bizarre rules and say that it's the law.

killian · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:16 am Post subject:

see if the school wil pay for it. when i came back to china i had to return to LA for processing. was in and out of that scary place in less than 24 hours, all on the bosses dime.

before you throw in the towel, pls. PM the connection so i can be next in line.

Mister Al · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 840 Location: In there

Yes, just tell them that if they can't sort the Invitation Letter/HK issue then thanks, but no thanks. Absolute nonsense that you need to go back to Canada.

Silent Shadow · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:53 pm Post subject:

gwow, give me a private message.

Don't worry you can take the job. You don't even need to go to Hong Kong; you can do it all in Beijing. I've nearly completed the process myself without having to leave the city.

I will give you all the details in the PM

All the best.

Ok, I've just pm'ed you!

sharpe88 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 226

I guess the policy has changed again ? Because last year they were indeed making people go back to their home countries to apply for work permits.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

I got my work permit last year in Hong Kong. A colleague did the same.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

Still waiting for word from the school.... hopefully all will be resolved.

JennyJK · Joined: 03 May 2010 Posts: 12

Hi there

Did you manage to sort your problem out? I am currently in a small city in China but am having an interview with a school in Beijing. As much as I'd love to see my family I really can't afford to go back to my home country just for the visa. Especially when I have already been to Hong Kong once to do it and it all worked out fine.

Teatime of Soul · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 905

NOT a requirement to return to home country, and entirely mythical any requirement to stay for a month.

If this employer' i spewing this nonsense, then probably everything else about this "dream job" is also suspect.

Your employer stipulates what country you must process your visa in. The EMPLOYER tells to officials the name of the country to write in on the invitation letter.

Govt. officials, by and large, could care less where your visa is processed. Unless there is some question about your true nationality or some such, they don't care.