Foreign teachers: visa at the end of contract

Foreign teachers: visa at the end of contract
Jul 12, 2006 22:53
APAULT Points: Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Status: offline	Forign teachers and those who are interested: I have just hit a difficulty when my Z visa/residancy permit ended. I wanted to travel during the summer and look for a new position while on the road. My FAO organised what I thought was a tourist visa but it was only for 15 days. When I went to renew it the PSB told me that these visas are not tourist visa but just intended to give you time to get your affairs in order AND they are not renewable...OK for another Y160 I have got a 7 day extension. Now I hhave to go to HK or overseas and apply for a tourist visa...and then once I find a job exit again to get a Z visa (unless I apply from outside China and in this case once again I have to provisionally contract to a school sight unseen. As I left, the official said 'I hope you will return for another job there is a shortage of teachers'!!! So why can't we just be allowed tourist visas at the end of contract? Too simple! Ahhh !

Jul 12, 2006 22:53

APAULT
Points:
Join Date: Mar 11, 2006
Status: offline

Forign teachers and those who are interested: I have just hit a difficulty when my Z visa/residancy permit ended. I wanted to travel during the summer and look for a new position while on the road. My FAO organised what I thought was a tourist visa but it was only for 15 days. When I went to renew it the PSB told me that these visas are not tourist visa but just intended to give you time to get your affairs in order AND they are not renewable...OK for another Y160 I have got a 7 day extension.

Now I hhave to go to HK or overseas and apply for a tourist visa...and then once I find a job exit again to get a Z visa (unless I apply from outside China and in this case once again I have to provisionally contract to a school sight unseen.

As I left, the official said 'I hope you will return for another job there is a shortage of teachers'!!! So why can't we just be allowed tourist visas at the end of contract? Too simple! Ahhh !

Jul 12, 2006 22:57	#1
PINETREE Points: 2514 Join Date: Oct 9, 2005 Status: Offline	Yes, a lot of red tapes. Wishing you the best in your next endeavour in China, Paul.

Jul 13, 2006 04:37

LEMONCACTUS
Points:
Join Date: Dec 8, 2005
Status: Offline

Apault....

lol... yes, Chinese beaurocracy seems a little counter productive doesn't it ?

Too late for you now, but the best solution is to try and change schools while you're still in China and before your visa ends. I'm just about at the end of this process and the new school has been able to sort out a continuation of my foreign expert's cert & residency visa... At least I hope they have... I'm illegal in 2 days
:(

I have still had to source the school 'blind' though.

I did last year get a tourist visa of 30 days on the end of my residents visa so that I could travel but then my school had terrible trouble re-applying for my visa's etc because my foreign expert's cert 'expired'. Luckily they have an "understanding" with the local PSB.

Good luck if you return :)

Jul 14, 2006 06:48	#3
APAULT Points: Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Status: Offline	Definitely counter productive. And if My FAO had told me I could have planned differently... like Lemoncactus says, to get continuity you have to apply sight unseen, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid. But as we all learn, nothing is straighforward here..... yet!

Jul 18, 2006 10:10	#4
JABAROOTOO Points: Join Date: Jul 4, 2005 Status: Offline	Just curious? In which city have you been trying to apply for your Visas? I have been told similar, going from Tourist to Z but know others how have had thiers changed from Tourist to Z with no problems. Seems to be now rhyme or reason sometimes and different cities.

Jul 18, 2006 20:57	#5
LEMONCACTUS Points: Join Date: Dec 8, 2005 Status: Offline	Hi Jabarootoo I heard on the teacher 'grapevine' that China is really cracking down on converting tourist visas into 'Z's now. But sure you're right, I think it still depends on the individual school and their relationship with the local authorities... Mine was via Shenyang.

Jul 19, 2006 07:52

APAULT
Points:
Join Date: Mar 11, 2006
Status: Offline

Jabarootoo and Lemoncactus..thanks for going onto my next thread.....

I am currently trying to establish whether an L can be converted to a Z (remember I was emphatically told I cannot even get an extension to my L visa because it is not a true L tourist visa...even though it has a big black L stamped on it!) It seems from your comments that theold rule applies "It all depends on which office u visit" !!!

Anyway I am off to Macau to get a new real L visa. It will look, feel and smell just like the one I already have but that is the L visa you get when you dont really have an L visa. Get it?? !!!!!

My school/agent cannot begin to initiate a Z visa for 15 days, but after that I will know whether I have to exit the mainland or not in order to get it. I will report back in due course!

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