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Moving to Shanghai: ? about vaccinations, visas, banking...

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pioneer

Squeeker

Joined: June 17, 2005
Posts: 10

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 03, 2005 - 11:23 AM
Post subject: Moving to Shanghai: ? about vaccinations, visas, banking...

Hello everyone. I am moving from Canada to Shanghai in June 06. I plan to study Mandarin for the summer, and then find a job teaching English for the fall. I was wondering if anyone could help me with a few questions.

-What vaccinations are recommended for a westerner moving to Shanghai?

-What visas will I need, coming as a summer tourist, and staying on to work in the fall?

-What sort of banking things should I do before I come? Is there Royal Bank of Canada in Shanghai? I would like to have it set up so that when I come there, I can deposit money into an account that is based in Canada. Is that possible?

-Do you know where I could stay when I land, somewhere safe, clean and not inexpensive for a couple of weeks to get oriented and then find a home?

Any advice and/or suggestions will be most welcome. Looking forward to meeting some of you when I arrive.

Pioneer

LifeMage
Wonder Wit

Joined: Sep 30, 2005
Posts: 3791
Location: In the world...... but not of it.

Posted: Oct 03, 2005 - 12:35 PM

Hi

Probably not the most informed person to reply but..........

-I'm also from Canada, I didn't and don't think one needs any vaccinations if you are planning to be in Shanghai. If you want to travel to more remote locations then I would do some more research.

-Easiest way (?) is just come on a three month tourist (L) visa and when you find work, they should do your paper work to get a work(Z) visa and residence permit. Oh....also bring a copy of any diploma's you have from high school all the way up, makes it easier to get a job and a work visa.

-I'm currently looking into this (there are no RBC's in China). I'll let you know when I learn more about transfering from a local account to a RBC account.

good luck and have fun once you get here!

Magnolia
Board Biatch

Joined: June 01, 2004
Posts: 30780

Posted: Oct 03, 2005 - 07:18 PM

When I moved here, it was recommended to have Hepatitus A & B, typhoid and a few other vaccines. The heps need to be completed over several months.

Another visa idea is the F visa which can often be granted for six month intervals. It is a buiness visa that will require sponsorship, however there are many organizations that can help you obtain one.

You are probably going to have to open a local bank account. There may be visa issues with this, I am not really sure. But it will save you considerable hassle should you find a job and are paid in cash (which is common). Alternatively, you can also keep assets in your Canadian bank and rely on the ATM for RMB withdrawals. There will be fees with this. It may also be difficult to replenish your Canadian account unless you have a local account, without traveling.

The city is essentially split into two halves, Puxi and Pudong. Puxi is the more active side and Pudong is somewhat more quiet. Affordable and clean apartments can be found on either side. You may wish to consider proximity to your Mandarin school and things like recreation, entertainment and dining. It shouldn't be too difficult to find an apartment that suits your needs but you may wish to plan on a week or so of staying in a hotel to allow yourself time to find something ideal.

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dfoo

Post Roaster

Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Posts: 4140

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 03, 2005 - 11:52 PM

Quote:

Is there Royal Bank of Canada in Shanghai? I would like to have it set up so that when I come there, I can deposit money into an account that is based in Canada. Is that possible?

I'm a Canadian in Shanghai ... so:

In short what you want to do is not possible. If you earn money here and want to deposit it into a Canadian bank account you need to first convert the funds from RMB in Canadian dollars. This is not a trivial process. You basically need to prove that you payed tax on the money, or go to a black market guy to convert the funds. You will then need to put that money into your account, which is most easily done through a wire transfer from a bank here -- and that requires a local bank account. Or you could use western union to a friend to deposit on your behalf -- but their fees are very expensive. Withdrawing funds from a Canadian based account you also pay very high fees ($5 CDN per transaction at least) AND you are limited to 2000 RMB per withdrawal up to a maximum (for me) of I think 6000 per week. This is an extreme pain in the ass -- especially when you need to come up with damage deposits and such!

The simplest and cheapest thing to do by far is to open a local account (you need your passport, yellow resident slip and 1 RMB), and use that account your daily living. If you have extra money then convert that and send it out of the country at intervals during the year. Any further questions PM me.

pioneer

Squeeker

Joined: June 17, 2005
Posts: 10

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 06, 2005 - 09:45 PM

Thanks everyone for all your help. It's a relief to hear about the vaccination situation, not needing them.

The banking situation sounds difficult, but I'm not surprised by it. Just have to go with it. Thanks for offering to answer any future questions I might have. I may take you up on it.

Thanks again and best to everyone. Looking forward to meeting people when I arrive.

kasei

Reacher

Joined: May 28, 2005
Posts: 335
Location: Hongkou, Shanghai, China
Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 19, 2005 - 08:57 PM

They re not really needed, but I would be current on your Hep A & B like Magnolia said. I would also get a tetnus booster so you don't need to worry about it for a while.

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