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Q: F visa and changing companies
Hello,
I have a visa related question. I just have started working in a company in Shanghai as an intern and
because my old visa expires (F visa, which I got when I was studying here for half year) I get an invitation
letter from them and I am planning to go to do new F visa in Hong Kong. This visa would also be for a half
year. They do not support my visa issuance. Now the question – if I want to quit working with them, for
example after few months and start working in other company, will I have the problems with the visa? I
mean can they cancel it? As I know there isn‘t anything written on the visa who issued it ( I mean whose
invitation was it). So can I, once I got visa, work with other company or there are some problems with that?
(if so, what kind of?)
Sorry for my long post, I am new here. Really hope someone can help me with this question.
11 years 20 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
All I would say is that in China, it is not legal to work unless you have a Work visa (Z), a work permit, an FEC and a residence permit.
With an F visa (business visa) you can not work and get paid in China. You may hve problems in the future if caught.
HappyExPat:
He claimed he "was" a student, which to me means he is no longer a student. As such, "interships" do not work, not legal. If he was on a student visa, and offered an intership related to his field of study thru the college or school, then he could work. At least that is how I interpret the existing regulations.
Even if it is an internship? I did not know that.
And to answer my question would it be a problem to change companies later?
It's no problem to change companies! we are a visa agent.
Whilst you hold a F visa, there is no problem as such going from employer to employer. There may be a problem regarding earning money on a F visa (if indeed you do - is your internship remunerated?). When you do change employment, just make sure that they are licensed to employ foreigners and can get a Z visa invitation letter. Then troddle off for the visa run.
After you obtain a Z visa and RP, changing employers will not be such a straightforward matter so make sure you don't dive into something you later regret.
Ieva:
Is it not legal to get paid for the internship?
Then why there are so many internship agencies (where you even have to pay them to find you an internship) and their found internships in firms are remunerated. So does these agencies help firms to hire interns not legally?