The Gordons
- 2005-08-26
To Dos -
As you can figure it out, the first trip to Hong Kong was vital, since the school (remember, we had legal documents) kept the residence permits until they expired!
We were suggested to get a business visa, but we refused. The 3 months visa was to give us time to leave the school and give time to the next school to process the documents.
We heard about documents being processed within 2 weeks. What a dream!
Our first school in China needed almost two months to process the documents. They extended our tourist visa with one month. We worked there for one year.
Our second school needed approximately one month. We worked there for one year too.
We had no idea that leaving a school is so easy. The signed contract had a great impact upon us.
In Yiwu was for the first time that we basically worked on a tourist visa. In the end, after the police episode, we refused further promisses. And because of this, we were labeled rude!
This was a terrible experience for us, since we never had any problems with the police in our lives...
Mic
- 2005-08-22
It is very easy to fix MOST visa problems. Usually, most visas can be fixed and you can stay in China. Only group visas are difficult and usually can't be fixed, but all other visas can be extended or changed.
It is simple, get your company to stamp some documents, have a about 2000 RMB, and have an AGENT.
The visa agent is the key, in the big cities, there are some special people who are agents who specialize in all visa problems. They can easily fix these troubles.
The people who say you must go to HK or you must leave China, they obviously don't know the secrets of getting the visas.
If you know a good agent, you can fix the problem through them.
Dos
- 2005-08-18
Mabel and Claude, not all places are as bad as this.
One has to wonder somewhat why you stayed on for so long, despite the lies and hassles the school put you through. Okay, doing a visa run to HK once, maybe, but TWICE? How long does it take to learn a lesson?
Many of your experiences are far from unique to China, and others (including myself) have gone through the same sort of thing. Myself, I learned quickly (after the first HK run) and found myself somewhere better. Total reliance on others will get you where you are now, back home. Some thinking and looking around could have resulted in you finding and moving to a better place.
Some of the things in your post are simply 'China'. (There are a lot of people here you have noticed). You complain about them, but you are in another culture, for better or worse. It sounds like you should stick to 'safe' tourist resorts instead of trying to live somewhere which is obviously too different for you.
Mabel and Claude Gordon
- 2005-08-17
Read our story in China.
3&3 Phoenix International Bilingual Kindergarten-YIWU, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA -A SORROWFUL EXPERIENCE [CHINA]
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/review/index.pl
www.englishschoolwatch.org/notebook.php
Jag Patel
- 2005-08-16
Is anyone can guide me?
soon I will be going to china on my F visa. However, once I am there I am going to apply for a Resident permit. What are the requirement for Resident permit.I understand that the factory I am going to work with will have to make an application for me?
Can anyone suggest what kind of letter should the factory write to make my application successful. I will not be employed by the factory, but I will work close with them on developing a Brand and Label.
I would sincerely have anyone's true and genuine opinion from experience.
olasiji saheed olawale
- 2005-07-23
hello, I'm just about to go to China to take for bussiness, ; I already have my f visa. and i want to travel form china to austrelia for study,can i apply for my visa in ausrelia embassy in china since there is no ausrelia embassy in nigeria.
thanks for good responds
tram
- 2005-06-30
Many thanks for your perspective on this issue - the z-visa I have is, indeed, an entry visa and is in the form of a sticker in my passport (it clearly has category "z" printed on it), I obtained it after producing the relevant 2 official letters from China (college& gov't)as well as my passport, photo, visa form & fees. I'm fully aware & appreciate that when I get to China I will have 30 days to get the resident& work permit, that's fine, I'm ok with that, it's not a problem. The central issue of confusion for me rests with the request from my waiban to bring a completed medical check with me to China. He thought, that when he sent me the 2 relevant official letters from China that I would also need a medical check to obtain the zvisa from my consulate, which I would subsequently take with me to China. The local consulate here (in UK)doesn't have any such medical forms and, to be honest, they were quite abrupt& clearly not wanting to debate the boring issue with me (who can blame them!?). Tedious as it is, I wanted to do the thing properly but I can't produce what doesn't appear to be available. I will now try to get a medical check from my own doc with all blood tests etc ...or maybe, I'll just quickly try to find another employer and then have the medical check over there in China, as appears to be the usual procedure. The medical check is probably not a major problem, as stated previously by geog ex., (but I dunno) I'm a newbie to esl and trying to grapple with the dynamics of the bureaucracy involved in getting a legitimate teaching post in China (while in my present primary & 'naive' stage) and avoiding the oft' mentioned pitfalls etc etc. anyway...
cheers guys, all advice was helpful and appreciated
Dos
- 2005-06-30
Tram,
You (probably) have a z-class *entry* permit. When you come to China you will get your expert visa and the residents Z-class visa, which is now a sticker in your passport. This sticker is the Z-class visa.
Just so we are clear! 
For the medical, it's rather strange you have to bring your own form!! Never heard of that before. Unless you do your medical in your country and get that *completed*, though that should be done for your entry visa. Very strange. Otherwise they should have the form in China where you get your medical.
Any case, contact your local Chinese embassy for the form.
tram
- 2005-06-29
Thank you cha yin zhe,
That is very helpful. From what I've investigated myself, everything you wrote seems to be very accurate and current. And I fully understand the need to obtain my FEC & RPF within 30 days of entering China and will, of course, endeavour to do so. I must also say that my future employer has always appeared very friendly & accommodating and has always replied to my emails most promptly. Judging by the emails I've exchanged with another foreign teacher at the college, this foreign affairs official is widely liked and highly respected by all who come into contact with him and he is, apparently, very enthusiastic and efficient at his job. Well, I guess that's all by-the-by, the thing is, he seems quite adamant that I should have this medical form to present to the doctor over there to obtain the resident permit. I'm finding it difficult to explain to him that I cannot obtain such a document because it doesn't appear to be a requirement from this end, and the consulate here don't supply/or require any such document prior to obtaining the working zvisa for entry to China. Perhaps it was previously a requirement. I dunno. Thanks anyway
cha yin zhe
- 2005-06-29
Hi tram,
Its never good to read conflicting reports but it happens a lot on these forums so heres my answer to your post:
The Z visa is not a thing of the past so its good that youre in possession of one; that shows that your employer is legally able to employ you. The Z visa enables you to enter the country, legally, and take up employment. Once here your employer will, during the first 30 days, need to obtain your FEC (Foreign Experts Certificate) and RPF (Residence Permit for Foreigners) and once youre in possession of those the Z or any other kind of visa becomes unnecessary. This is because the new RPF has the dual function of being your residence permit and allows you enter/exit China as you wish during its period of validity.
In regard to the medical I would point out that it is invariably done here in China and indeed the local authorities will not normally accept an overseas medical report. The medical is part of the process in obtaining your FEC and RPF.
Remember that within 30 days you will need your FEC and RPF; mine was done in 5 days. All should be well but dont be afraid to pursue those documents.
tram
- 2005-06-29
Thanks geog ex.,
and yes, you're quite right, my z-visa is in the form of a 'sticker' stuck inside my passport (and it's definitely a z-visa). I'll bear in my mind all your advice. You've been very helpful, much appreciated.
geography expert
- 2005-06-29
Z visas are a thing of the past at least in quite a few places now. Nowadays the latest is a sticker in your passport that is proof of both your residency status and your permission to work, and in these places separate "residency permits" are no longer issued thank goodness - they were just another thing that was too easy to misplace.
Sure you don't have an L visa? Anyway, regardless of that, it's standard procedure to undergo a medical check here, so if you can get one at home and can get all the necessary things ticked off, it might save you the money and the few hours hassle of doing it once you're here. Just get the form from the embassy - you'll need to be checked for a range of conditions just mainly to give them a reasonable expectation that you won't drop dead soon after arrival nor will be responsible for starting any epidemics - pretty standard stuff. It might be that the embassy no longer issues these forms because z visas and res permit booklets are going the way of the dodo here now.
Anwyay again, it's nothing to worry about. If you bring your own med check form and they accept it, lucky you. If not you'll probably but not definitely just have to go through the rigmarole when you get here. There's always going to be a easy solution once you're here, so don't fret and just roll with it. Often college officials can unwittingly give you the wrong impression about how worried you should be about things. They don't mean to do it I would say in most cases, it's just that English is not their mother tongue.
hello, I'm just about to go to China to take up an esl post, in a provincial city college; I already have my z visa. The college official, who I'm in regular contact with, has informed me that I must also bring a 'medical form' with me so that I can get the 'resident permit' processed when I arrive there. I've looked at the consulate website and searched the rest of the web for information about this 'medical form' but I can't find any info about it; all I found was some info about a medical form that is required by students wishing to study in China for more than 6 months. The college official says it's important that I bring this form with me, and yet, he doesn't have any info on the title of this medical form or whether I need to have it officially passed by my local consulate or not. Any ideas thoughts etc would be appreciated. Thanks