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Stay as long and work as little as possible.

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Shanghai Expat Forum Index » Hot Topics Forums » Visas, Taxes, and Legalities

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SpaceCat

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Joined: Oct 14, 2009
Posts: 27

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Posted: Oct 15, 2009 - 05:49 AM
Post subject: Stay as long and work as little as possible.

So like the title says, Any suggestions on how to stay in china as long as you can without employment. For example could I teach english for a few months, but get the Z visa for a year, and stay after my contract finishes? Any better ideas?

CoffeeHawk_0
Board Deity

Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 17977

Posted: Oct 15, 2009 - 06:03 AM

get arrested but not for something that yields the death penalty or deportation

Chrisse

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Joined: Feb 25, 2009
Posts: 1146

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 15, 2009 - 06:08 AM

Study Chinese, no work and all the fun Wink

SpaceCat

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Joined: Oct 14, 2009
Posts: 27

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 15, 2009 - 06:15 AM

funny you should say so, thats my first priority, however looking at the collages and such its just to pricey ($10,000 for 7 months!).

Chrisse

PopStar

Joined: Feb 25, 2009
Posts: 1146

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 15, 2009 - 06:41 AM

The cheapest ones in Shanghai go for around 8k per semester.

SpaceCat

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Joined: Oct 14, 2009
Posts: 27

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Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 02:54 AM

Weird how expensive they are considering its China. Anyway my question might have been too openended.
If I get a work contract for a few months, can I get a Z-Visa for a year and stay after my contract finishes?

SpaceCat

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Posts: 27

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Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 02:57 AM

Also I'm confused cause I read in one place your employer decides the length of the Z visa, and in another, that you decide.

p1atl10

Shanghai Royalty

Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 8584
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 03:52 AM

A Z Visa is used ONE TIME for Entry into China in preparation for receiving a Work Permit, and tied to that Work Permit, a Residence Permit.

RP's are 1 or 2 year duration...at the employers discretion.

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Chrisse

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Joined: Feb 25, 2009
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Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 07:59 AM

SpaceCat wrote:

Weird how expensive they are considering its China. Anyway my question might have been too openended.

They know foreigners are willing to pay that much... For mainland Chinese students the tuition fee is usually about 5-6k per year.

jasonnoguchi

LoopKicker

Joined: Mar 05, 2005
Posts: 905
Location: From Singapore
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Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 09:00 AM

Do what my friend do. Rent out his fully owned apartment in his home country and the rental is enough for living in Shanghai WITHOUT ever working. It becomes Living As Long And Not Work At All in Shanghai.

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paulinshanghai

Reacher

Joined: Nov 13, 2008
Posts: 273
Location: Pudong and Puxi
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Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 09:11 AM

Study at a Chinese school, not a university is much cheaper... Wink

Teach for a few months, do heaps of part time jobs (any you can get) then live off that for a few months.

Deal with the visa issue when it arises Wink

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yu888
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Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 19241
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH

Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 03:07 PM

$1200 a semester at certain Shanghai based language programs plus room and board of course. so $2400 will get you a year's student visa.

Work illegally, keep your head down, and you shouldnt get deported.

I sometimes wonder how expats feel entitled to stay in China when back home everyone is screaming to get rid of the illegal aliens...

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catur

Reacher

Joined: Feb 16, 2005
Posts: 232

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 03:32 PM

yu888 wrote:

I sometimes wonder how expats feel entitled to stay in China when back home everyone is screaming to get rid of the illegal aliens...

A bit unrelated to your point, but there's 10 freakin' million of them in your homeland, a large number that never had a visa to begin with!
I don't think anybody would be screaming over a few teachers running loose. Comparing on a population basis, you'd need nearly 50 million illegals here!

Shangstar

Fire-eater

Joined: Feb 07, 2008
Posts: 2788
Location: Spitland
Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 03:37 PM

Chrisse wrote:

SpaceCat wrote:

Weird how expensive they are considering its China. Anyway my question might have been too openended.

They know foreigners are willing to pay that much... For mainland Chinese students the tuition fee is usually about 5-6k per year.

yes, but fees for locals are state subsidised. In the UK, English students pay next to nothing in fees. Scottish students pay nothing. I paid nothing when it was completely free, not even living expenses which was covered be grants. EU students pay just a little bit more. For non-EU students, the fees are huge. It's the subsidy / taxation system.

Last edited by Shangstar on Oct 16, 2009 - 04:02 PM; edited 1 time in total

Shangstar

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Location: Spitland
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Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 03:52 PM

yu888 wrote:

I sometimes wonder how expats feel entitled to stay in China when back home everyone is screaming to get rid of the illegal aliens...

I've always thought that, especially recently when there are lots of young people coming here in search of a better life away from the economic mess in their home countries. They're basically economic migrants. Some also marry locals and settle here. They take their jobs, their women, get the best houses, better treatment etc. Arguably one could say that Chinese are treated as second class citizens to the foreigners, in their own country.

Whilst one can argue, we put in taxes here, but get nothing back, thats not strictly true because many things we take for granted are subsidised, and those illegal teachers here on F visas take their pay, but are outside of the income tax system.

Chrisse

PopStar

Joined: Feb 25, 2009
Posts: 1146

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 16, 2009 - 05:19 PM

Shangstar wrote:

Chrisse wrote:

SpaceCat wrote:

Weird how expensive they are considering its China. Anyway my question might have been too openended.

They know foreigners are willing to pay that much... For mainland Chinese students the tuition fee is usually about 5-6k per year.

Yeah, sure some can be explained by that. In Sweden it is free for everyone, no matter where you're from. I think they pay the teachers more, the ones that teaches foreigners Chinese, less students per teacher too. I am not saying it doesn't add up, just that it is a big difference and the tuition fees are a lot less than the ones you would see in other countries.

SpaceCat

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Joined: Oct 14, 2009
Posts: 27

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 17, 2009 - 05:01 AM

yu888 wrote:

I sometimes wonder how expats feel entitled to stay in China when back home everyone is screaming to get rid of the illegal aliens...

I have an unhealthy sense of entitlement in all matters.
Thing is I'm a web developer and I work remotely, so I make a lot more
doing that than any teaching job.
So my only concern really is the visa/residence/work permit/the peoples pink slip of beaurocratic bullsh*t.
Now your saying the Z-Visa ony gets you in, so can I assume you can come and go as you please with the residence permit? cause it says on the Irish Chinese embassy website:

Visa fees:
For Irish citizen: 30.00 Euro for single entry,

45.00 Euro for double entries,

60.00 Euro for multi-entries

90.00 Euro for one-year multiple entries

I mean why bother paying the 90 Euro?

Also watcha think about asking an employer to go for the 2 year residence permit? Cheeky? Are they likely to say "yeah whatever" and then not do it?

I'll look into the student path aswell, thanks for all the help guys.
Nice forum by the way, I'm particularly enjoying the venting about the locals.

root
Raver
Raver

Joined: Oct 06, 2008
Posts: 417

Posted: Oct 17, 2009 - 06:24 AM

Buy an apartment in USA and rent it out - enough money for living in China.

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Last edited by root on Oct 17, 2009 - 08:01 PM; edited 1 time in total

SpaceCat

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Joined: Oct 14, 2009
Posts: 27

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 17, 2009 - 06:48 PM

Root! I'm trying to get my **** together, and you're shittin' all over this thread!!

root
Raver
Raver

Joined: Oct 06, 2008
Posts: 417

Posted: Oct 17, 2009 - 08:04 PM

SpaceCat wrote:

Root! I'm trying to get my **** together, and you're shittin' all over this thread!!

Sorry. I corrected it. If you have income $1500/m or more - you will solve all the problems.

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trenchwire

Talker

Joined: June 28, 2008
Posts: 121

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 19, 2009 - 02:18 PM

Chrisse's numbers for school tuition are in RENMINBI, not DOLLARS.

8k rmb per semester is actually pretty damn good.

laundry

Lurker

Joined: Oct 04, 2009
Posts: 30

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 19, 2009 - 02:52 PM

Some friends go to the university in the morning to learn chinese, like SISU, Jiaotong,etc. And give afternoon classes (english for example). The food near most universities is cheap.