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eclipse12
Joined: 03 Nov 2010
Posts: 18
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 Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:29 pm Post subject: L or F Visa? |
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I'm told before I need to come to China for a teaching job that I need to obtain an L or F visa first.
Any suggestions on which one I should get ?
How risky is it coming to China on one of these visa's instead of getting a Z visa prior to arriving?
Any info would help, thanks! |
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west2east
Joined: 03 May 2009
Posts: 120
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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Coming to China on an L visa is fine, if you are a tourist. Coming to China on an F visa if fine, if you are here on business. Coming to China on an L or F visa and working is completely illegal.
Ask yourself how the government (and people in general) back home would feel if thousands of of Chinese nationals visited your country on the pretense of tourism when really all they intended to do was work illegally. It's exactly the same if you come here to do that.
If you are in talks with a school and they are asking you to do this, be very, very suspicious. They will either expect you to work illegally on the wrong visa (which could have deportation and blacklist implications if you are found out, this can and does happen) or they will ask you to do a Z visa run to Hong Kong or S Korea and may or may not pay for your travel. In which case, why not just organise your Z visa from home?
Working on F or L? Your school is criminal and so are you. |
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eclipse12
Joined: 03 Nov 2010
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info west2east, that's exactly what I needed to know.
How long are Z visa's valid for ? I tried looking up Z visa online and the only application I could find just looked like the normal visa applications I've filled out in the past when visiting China. Am I looking at the correct visa application?
Anyone have any helpful information on the process of obtaining a Z visa myself if a school isn't providing one? Is it fairly easy to do?
Thanks in advance! |
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west2east
Joined: 03 May 2009
Posts: 120
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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Once you have received your letter of invitation from your school, this will accompany your application for your 30 day Z visa. Once you arrive in China, your school Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO) will take care of your residency permit which will allow you to stay in China for a further 11 months, or as long as you are contracted to your school. If you continue after this time, your visa/residency is renewed.
As far as I am aware, you cannot apply for a Z visa yourself. You have to be invited by a Chinese employer that is licensed to employ foreign experts. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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| The residency permit has been changed in some places to 6 months (Henan, for one). Once you get the Z visa, it's good "forever" as long as the residency permit is renewed without any time gaps. |
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LanGuTou
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 621
Location: Shandong
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| Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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| west2east wrote: |
As far as I am aware, you cannot apply for a Z visa yourself. You have to be invited by a Chinese employer that is licensed to employ foreign experts. |
It is correct to say that you cannot apply for a 'z' visa personally but it is incorrect to say that the employer issues the invitation.
The process is that the employing party must apply through either SAFEA (most common route for foreign teachers) or the Labor and Supervision Bureau for permission to appoint a foreign national. The invitation letter is issued by another government department providing the applicant is entitled to hold a FEC or Work Permit depending on which of the two routes is taken. The invitation letter is forwarded to the school on payment of a fee who then send it to the applicant for 'z' visa application.
Regardless of anything that is said by an employer or agent, this is the only way to work legally in China. There are a couple of work arounds involving 'F' visa applications and operating as a visiting lecturer and not an employee. |
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stawberryfields
Joined: 05 Nov 2010
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:58 am Post subject: |
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| johntpartee wrote: |
| The residency permit has been changed in some places to 6 months (Henan, for one). Once you get the Z visa, it's good "forever" as long as the residency permit is renewed without any time gaps. |
Actually No.
A Z visa is null and void once you enter the country and obtain your resident permit.
There is a reason that the visa has an expiration date. The expiration serves two function: first, it allows you a period of time to enter the country, and last, it allows you a "grace period" to obtain the resident permit.
A resident permit essentially become your makeshift visa as it were.
Letting your resident permit lapse doesn't cancel your visa - it cancels your legal living status and resident permit. Thus, you no longer have the right to live in China.
Renewing your resident permit prior to expiration is just that - renewing your resident permit, not the visa.
Communicate proper facts, even semantics. |
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