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Q: Some say HK, some say home country for visa. Why?
I am now considering some different job offers here in China. I am currently here already.
Some schools say I need to go back to Canada to get the visa, some schools say HK.
Why is this?
It sucks because the top 2 jobs that I want both say I will have to return to Canada, and I was just there, and flights are quite expensive going back there next month.
11 years 40 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
You have to leave the China Mainland, and go into place when Chinese visa could be obtained. That is essencial.
Those who said, that You have to go to Canada... does They tell You why? They denied if You said that You will have a visa from HK?
It is PSB who makes a decision where you can apply for Z visa. As I understand, School is making suggestion or wish on application, where do you want to apply for Z. PSB has the last word on that.
School in Dalian I sign new Contract with, applied for new Working permit a week ago. School asked me, where do I want to apply for Z: Hong Kong, South Korea or my home country. I pick HK. I don't have their answer yet!
The schools that said that I have to go to Canada, they just said that in this area it is no longer possible to do the HK trip any longer. Other places in the same province where I am, say HK trip is no problem.
By Law, only Embassies abroad can issue visas to enter China. PSB, by Law. is not supposed to issue visas, but "permits" who work as a visa, but it is not a visa. They can only issue visas if located at a border station.
So, PSB in China can not issue visas under normal circumstances, unless the applicant does have a good guanxi or enough money. They, in conjunction with the Labor Bureau, will issue residence permits and work permits respectively, after a visa is granted above.
The problem with Hong Kong resides on the fact that foreigners are supposed to requests visas in their country of origin. Hong Kong is not supposed to give visas to others than people born there. And if you visit the Embassy, you will see many signs on walls proclaiming so. But, pay no attention to it at file your application, you will most probably get it. Why?. I guess it is the Chinese way, say one thing and do another in a way. Now, be aware, Hong Kong normally issues visas which do not have long validations, many entrances, or long stays.
JungleLife:
Well, I will be obtaining the 1 year Z visa / resident permit for working in a school. If the school says I have to go to Canada, can I then just go to HK and hope that I will still get it? It will probably save me 2 large.
it depends on the country u are from such as africa arab countrie have to go back to their home countries their is a list on what countries have tos i know i went to hk iam from the us so just check
These are the facts.
1. Unless there are special circumstances surrounding your visa application, all Z visas are to be processed in your home country. That is it! There is now way around it. Some visa companies will claim they can process your visa without leaving China. Be aware of such companies, while they may get you the visa, you will find that you are employed by some factory in the middle of nowhere.
2. Multiple entry F and L visas can still be issued in Hong Kong to most nationalities. We are still offering 6 and 12 month multiple entry visas which can be obtained in 1 day.
3. Visa options in Hong Kong for Americans are now very restricted. Many Americans are now only being issued 10 day visas. Some Americans are even having their applications rejected.
4. Visa options for Indians and Pakistanis are non-existent.
This information is based on actual facts. Our company deals with hundreds of visa cases every week.
If you have a visa question or concern please feel free to contact me.
mjr862000:
i am not sure about your information i am an american and i got a z visa in hong kong last month from my company.
SoFresh:
I'm going to have to disagree on point number 1. As with anything in China there are exceptions.
My work Visa is throw my in-laws company. They own a manufactoring business in China. I actually don't work for them, they just got me the Visa since I'm family, but my Visa is infact with their business and I never had to leave China.
Police have even shown up a few times to verify that I'm employed there, so that's certainly the company my visa is through.
Anyways I guess the point I'm trying to make is there's always exceptions to the rules in China. It's simply not true that your work visa always has to be done back in your home country,t here are certainly many exceptions to the "rules" as this is China.
Hi, I actually had a similar situation about a year ago. Mines was a bit different because I actually overstayed my visa. I was told by the PSB ( as well as my job and other expats) that I could go to HK get a tourist visa etc..It was just a whole big mess with my employer and alot of money was wasted because in the end HK would not issue me a visa. They told me to return to my home country if I wanted to return to China. I did just that, got a good and reputable job to sponsor my visa and went back to China. In the end it all worked out because I got to spend the holidays with my family and ended up with a good job; but when I look back I wish I would have just went home to begin with instead of dealing with HK. Hope this helps you.
LAR:
CSmith,
My situation was a little over a year ago and similar to yours. I wasn't an overstay
but I got a new job and was told that I had to go back to my country to apply for my work visa. So, I went but it was okay because I was also home for the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holidays. Everything went well as far as getting my visa.
So many things are constantly changing with Visa's it's really hard to say. Your best bet would be to contact PBS directly, they will know the current rules and give you a more honest answer than any school ever would.
If you do have to fly home to get a Visa to work with this school I would suggest that you ask them to pay for the flight. If they want to hire you they should be paying for all the visa stuff. I feel like there's enough teaching jobs in China that you can make demands like this and not worry if a school decides no.
On a side note..... I hear nowadays with the Chinese government cracking down on Visa's. There are now many cases where flying back home to do your Visa can actually be cheaper.
I know a guy who use to always go through an agency for his visa's. Due to how much harder it's becoming in China to get visa's the price has kept going up over the years. He use to always go to HK to do it. The price is no high enough through the agency that he just went back to his home country instead of HK. Actually saved a few thosuand rmb.
These are the facts.
1. Unless there are special circumstances surrounding your visa application, all Z visas are to be processed in your home country. That is it! There is now way around it. Some visa companies will claim they can process your visa without leaving China. Be aware of such companies, while they may get you the visa, you will find that you are employed by some factory in the middle of nowhere.
2. Multiple entry F and L visas can still be issued in Hong Kong to most nationalities. We are still offering 6 and 12 month multiple entry visas which can be obtained in 1 day.
3. Visa options in Hong Kong for Americans are now very restricted. Many Americans are now only being issued 10 day visas. Some Americans are even having their applications rejected.
4. Visa options for Indians and Pakistanis are non-existent.
This information is based on actual facts. Our company deals with hundreds of visa cases every week.
If you have a visa question or concern please feel free to contact me.
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Not sure where ilaowai gets their information, but it's not based on any facts.
American's can go to HK to apply for a work visa provided the employer submits the proper documents. A tourist visa can only be extended in HK and only at China Immigration's discretion. Otherwise, you must return home to get a new tourist visa.
yeah he's making #$@3 up to sound like he has lots of knowledge and experience on the matter. I'd say blacklist him from your visa requirements and spread the word around about his business ilaowai being misleading. Let his business close down
I am also curious on this. Currently working in Turkey and I feel i should just be able to go to the Chinese Embassy here, once the school have sent the relevant documents. I really do not want to return home to the UK first. Any new knowledge on this matter?
JungleLife:
Hi, I asked this question almost a year ago and it applies to someone who is already in China, but getting the new visa. You are outside China, so it shouldn't matter if you apply to the embassy in Turkey or England.
boomsticks:
Yeah, I'm an Irish citizen but got all my Z Visa stuff done in Australia through the Chinese embassy in Melbourne last year. So you doing something similar as a UK citizen in Turkey should be viable
