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anonymous
Q: Can my company stop me from leaving China?
Can my company report me to the airport to put me on a no fly list?
Do they actually have this power?
If yes then can they do that if i cancel my residence permit and have only a tourist visa?
10 years 17 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
It depends on the reasons, why you were 'invited' to resign.
Dial SAFEA in city you worked, and ask them either for Release letter or if you'll be still able to get Working permit.
Enter 'SAFEA' in search above for address and contact nos. in your last working city.
You can also apply for new position in China. Your new school will tell you, if SAFEA approved Working permit and Invitation letter for new Z visa.
ScotsAlan:
I agree with icniff, it depends on why you were asked to resign.
But assuming the Police were not involved, I see no reason why you can't go through the Z visa process again. The release letter is really for changing jobs, and transfering your work permit/ residence permit within China, without having to leave.
It costs nothing to apply for a job and do the Z paperwork, so if you want to come back, give it a try.
In any case, if you live in a country that gives you a new passport number when you renew your passport........ a new passport is a clean slate.
However, if you were invited to resign your last job..... erm.....
In any case. Your choice. If you think you will get on better next time, go for it.
Unless you are a criminal. In that case... stay away 
icnif77:
I just had my US buddy from Fujian asked me similar Q: 'dial SAFEA, and ask them if I can still get WP.'
1. I don't know the reasons why school canceled his RP, and he was required to leave China.
2. I don't have much experience with violating the Contract.
3. SAFEA's web link I found on Internet is helpful to anybody. Dial or send them an email with Qs.
4. If you don't want to talk to Chinese Gov., apply at the new School. I believe, School can find out details about new FT from SAFEA in a week.
I had answer (with shades of grey) from School in Jiangsu in two days: 'Not possible to get WP for Non-native English teacher in Jiangsu!'
i heard a story, heard being the key word here, of a friend of a friend living and working in china. his school was very shady and liked to hold the foreigners accountable for everything that went wrong. so this person decided to quit and leave the school. the school burned his apartment, and told the local police that the foreigner did this out of spite. the local police banned him from traveling on trains and planes until he paid the school an absurd amount of money.
now with that story out of the way, i don't think it is very likely that the school, or government will do so much work to keep you from leaving china. their new policy seems to be kicking foreigners out of the country, not preventing them from leaving. but still, try your best to leave on good terms... and don't light things on fire...
First, no! China will never stop you from leaving, and you are more then welcome to cancel your resident Permit at the PSB and thus get a 30 day L visa, BUT BUT BUT, can I hear one more BUT please, (ok Thanks) But your company will still own the rights to your passport for future jobs, meaning that you will never be allowed to get another Resident Permit again unless you go back to your Company 1 day or 50 years later and get your "Release Letter, no new company can hire you until you get that letter of release, it'll be in the computer, so don't fool yourself into thinking that "Hey I can just get another resident permit.""..
So you're dealing with the ESL Devil
. I would leave correctly. Follow your Contract!
mike695ca:
Are you sure about that? Im not disagreeing, but it sounds strange that there isnt a time limit sort of thing. My first year, i had a Z visa , left my contract without a releaseletter changed to F visa untill new job and visa firgured out then successfully got another Z, and its been gravy ever since.
ambivalentmace:
change your passport number and start over, several folks have done this successfully, the high tech country of china is not so high tech with their data bases.
ironman510:
I can speak for people working within Guangdong.. This policy was restarted last year.. but guanxi's are a teachers best friend.
dom87:
seems only applying to esl shit. since i m dealing at the moment with changing employer. they didnt even ask me for a release letter and for some reasons they give a shit that they dont cancel my shanghai working permit.
its really weird. now i have 2 working permits
ironman510:
I hear you, every Province or City has different rules of some kind.. It makes our head spin and just want to look at them and ask: "What the hell?" If I ever change jobs again I'll go to the FEC and PSB myself and ask in advance, hey what do you guys need? I've lost a lot of faith in company accountants or whoever is incharge of setting up our visa, why? Because, well i don't know how to explain it, but for some reason Chinese don't think about the what if's or 10 seconds into the future, Like they don't ask themselves: "What if? Would I need this or that? Should I Check before?" All of these questionnaires go unused by them, so I only trust myself to check first..
My knowledge on this isn't great, but I will share an actual experience that occurred to me. I work in R&D. I work for an International company that has sights in the US and China, but it's home office is in China. I hired an expat from another research lab in Shanghai that had closed. She had returned to her home country to work for the same company that had owned the lab in Shanghai. It took several months to get her release letter because the company was no longer in business in China and she could not get another Z visa without the letter.
ironman510:
I believe you. This does happen, and it happens both ways, some get lucky and some don't when it comes to doing a mid night run and and trying to get a new Z visa.
They can cancel your z visa,the other kind of visas,no.They have the rights to put u on black list
No. But it will not stop some despicable FAOs from making these types of threats. I will restate my advice. When you see problems at the very beginning, or at anytime, leave go directly to the PSB or SAFEA with the proof and leave. Do not attempt to work with the school thinking they will fix the problems. They will only buy time to screw you over. no one can help you after the fact.
icnif77:
Find another job/RP sponsor first! Then follow all what you're saying.
can't leave without an up to date visa .....I overstayed mine a couple of days, one time, and couldn't leave until I renewed it.... extra week here.
I was invited to resign and left China without getting a release letter.
Does this mean I can never work in China ever again?
I was invited to resign and left China without getting a release letter.
Does this mean I can never work in China ever again?
It depends on the reasons, why you were 'invited' to resign.
Dial SAFEA in city you worked, and ask them either for Release letter or if you'll be still able to get Working permit.
Enter 'SAFEA' in search above for address and contact nos. in your last working city.
You can also apply for new position in China. Your new school will tell you, if SAFEA approved Working permit and Invitation letter for new Z visa.
ScotsAlan:
I agree with icniff, it depends on why you were asked to resign.
But assuming the Police were not involved, I see no reason why you can't go through the Z visa process again. The release letter is really for changing jobs, and transfering your work permit/ residence permit within China, without having to leave.
It costs nothing to apply for a job and do the Z paperwork, so if you want to come back, give it a try.
In any case, if you live in a country that gives you a new passport number when you renew your passport........ a new passport is a clean slate.
However, if you were invited to resign your last job..... erm.....
In any case. Your choice. If you think you will get on better next time, go for it.
Unless you are a criminal. In that case... stay away
icnif77:
I just had my US buddy from Fujian asked me similar Q: 'dial SAFEA, and ask them if I can still get WP.'
1. I don't know the reasons why school canceled his RP, and he was required to leave China.
2. I don't have much experience with violating the Contract.
3. SAFEA's web link I found on Internet is helpful to anybody. Dial or send them an email with Qs.
4. If you don't want to talk to Chinese Gov., apply at the new School. I believe, School can find out details about new FT from SAFEA in a week.
I had answer (with shades of grey) from School in Jiangsu in two days: 'Not possible to get WP for Non-native English teacher in Jiangsu!'
What's with all the Lazarus posts???
To answer this 1 year old thread - the actual answer is "yes" - sort of.
About 2 years ago, the Central Committee, in their infinite wisdom, brought in a new law that said if claims were made against a foreigner regarding financial debts, said foreigner could be kept (effectively) indefinitely in China (although, in practice, until the money was paid up). Perhaps there was some logic behind this, as it would stop us from skipping town with tax money, or other paid-up front cash supplies (ie, doing business). IIRC, it came about around the same time as the GSK affair and the alleged paying of bribes by the foreign management.
Is a school going to do this to you? Unlikely - but if you piss off the wrong person, all it takes is a phone call from them to the local police, and you've got hassles...
