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Q: Can I transfer from a L visa to a Z visa in China?
hi, I am currently in China and being offered a job as a programmer. I have an L visa and the company says I have to go back to my home country and apply from there for a Z visa. is it really not possible to switch in country?
6 years 6 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - Shenzhen
Not within mainland China. But the company can do the paper work and send you to Hong Kong to get the Z visa.
Hotwater:
Yes they can in Shanghai, a high tech zone in Beijing & I’d heard a nun confirmed runout if GZ soon.
You don't necessarily have to go back to your home country but you need to leave Mainland China and apply with an Invitation Letter from your company and a Work Permit.
Good luck. It can be a labyrinth sometimes
Hotwater:
Nope, it's been possible to convert a tourist visa into a work permit/resident permit in Shanghai for about two years now. Also I believe in the high tech zone in Beijing and pissibly soon in Guangzhou.
The company is probably telling you what the PSB told them.
It's China so for every rule there will be someone who comes out and says they had a different experience in city X but if the people doing your visa are saying you need to go home to apply then that is most likely what they need you to do.
It is totally possible to change from an 'L' visa to a Z visa while remaining in China. However, technically speaking, you aren't supposed to start working until the Work Permit is granted. I was changed from an L (visitor) to a Z while remaining in China. I kept up with the 60-day HK visits so as not to violate the L stipulation.
The only caveat to this to date, is that China is now requiring a current criminal background check from all person's country of origin, which typically has to be obtained from a person's home country by him or her directly applying for it at home. Good luck with that. 
