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hongbozi
Squeeker
Joined: Mar 26, 2004
Posts: 13
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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  Posted:
May 26, 2004 - 04:45 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Calling all Visa experts! |
I posted this in another thread, but no answer, so here goes:
I live and teach English in Lishui, Zhejiang Province and plan to take a job in Shanghai in September. I will fly back to the States for a short vacation, and probably return at the tail end of August. My residence permit is good until August 31st, 2004. What are my obligations as far as a visa goes and re-entering China? Will my residence permit get me through customs as long as it's earlier than August 31st, or will I need to renew my visa before I re-enter? If so, will this entail another trip to the Chinese Embassy in the US? If not, will I need to get my current school to write a letter to release me from their employ so I can get the new school to vouch for me?
I have heard everything imaginable from my Chinese friends, including that I must directly get a Z (Work) Visa before I go to China, I can't get an L (tourist) Visa. Anybody got the latest scoop on that one?
A thousand thanks to anybody who read this. A million thanks if you can offer some insight. |
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LeiFeng
Raver
Joined: Oct 17, 2002
Posts: 440
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
May 26, 2004 - 10:31 AM |
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Firstly, customs don't care about your residence permit (actually, they might - non-residents and residents typically have different allowances, but we'll not get into that) - immigration are the people who might. In fact, they don't care about residence permits - those do not get you across borders. I have never been asked to show mine and in fact do not carry it when I travel because it would be such a lot of trouble to replace.
To renter China, you must have a valid Z visa with at least one entry remaining. That is what the immigration people are looking for in the documentation you present.
The question is, do you have a Z visa with an entry remaining? If not, you will either:
(1) Need your employer to write a letter stating that they need a new visa for you, how many entries, etc. etc. You may also need a photocopy of their biz license/organization code, but if you have the employer supporting your application, that's no biggy. It would take 3-5 working days to get an updated
(2) Have your new employer sign a contract with you before you go and have them sanction your visa.
Briefly, what you would really like is to sign a contract with your new employer here in Shanghai before you leave (leaving several weeks to process everything), take the new contract along with the required supporting docs to the labour burea, get an updated work permit in 3-5 working days, then go to the Entry Exit burea with the updated work permit and other required docs to update your residence permit and get a new Z visa valid for the entire term of your employment. It would allow at least 10 working days to get everything updated.
(3) If you don't have a Z and neither employer can help you get the Z before you leave but you sitll have a valid work permit and residence permit, some naughty people have been known
If you are going to switch employers, you are supposed to have a "chopped" letter releasing you from employment so you can have the employment certificate updated by the labour bureaa. Get one from your previous employer. I have not switched employers here so this is just what my friends have told me.
if you you leave China without renewing everything, you may have to start from scratch again - getting a new work license, etc etc. It is just much easier here, especially if you do not live close to a Chinese embassy/consulate.
Your friends are correct that in general you must enter china on a Z to work. In the past, only the highest level executives could enter on one visa and switch to a Z. During SARS, this restriction was removed for reasons of expediency. I am not sure whether policies have reverted to their pre-SARS forms or not - perhaps something somebody else who got their visa within the past year can comment on this. |
_________________
Principal, XLNTE. Experience Excellence.
ben@xlnte.com.
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