The place to ask China-related questions!
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Xi'an Hangzhou Qingdao Dalian Suzhou Nanjing More Cities>>

Categories

Close
Welcome to eChinacities Answers! Please or register if you wish to join conversations or ask questions relating to life in China. For help, click here.
X

Verify email

Your verification code has been sent to:

Didn`t receive your code? Resend code

By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .

Sign up with Google Sign up with Facebook
Sign up with Email Already have an account? .
Posts: 32

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Q: URGENT!! If I am working here on an 'F' visa, who would get in more trouble? Me or my company?

Also, what are the consequences? I AM LOSING SLEEP OVER THIS SO ANY RESPONSE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

11 years 39 weeks ago in  Visa & Legalities - China

 
Answers (2)
Comments (4)
Posts: 3025

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

If found, you will be detained, and probably deported within a few days, maybe also a fine.  Of course, it will be a few years (if ever) until you will be able to get a visa to enter China again.  So, DO NOT TELL ANYONE !

 

And as for the company that employs you, they will be subject to a fine (in one case I do know of, before the crackdown started, the fine was 100,000 Rmb plus lost license to hire foreigners) among other possible things.  But, considering that this is China, you might not even show up on their books.

 

May I offer a solution to you ?.  ASAP get the required documentation from your employer for a work visa.  Once you have them, do fly to Hong Kong and request one, it will take at least two days in HKG to do so.  One day to file (early in the morning), next day to pick up visa

Kaiwen:

You will find it IS DEFINITELY NOT as easy to obtain a 'Z' visa as HappyExPat is suggesting. Firstly, your employer does not supply the invitation letter for the visa. It is a governmental issue and is exceptionally bureaucratic. Your employer must be fully registered and have the right to employ foreigners. Then supply substantial evidential material including the reasons why they need to employ you for the particular role instead of a local Chinese alternative (straightforward if you are an English teacher because being a native speaker is a prerequisite but not so easy if you are fulfilling a function such as data input, programming etc.). You must also undergo a medical. The first part of the process will take a week or two then you have to leave the country and return before starting the next highly bureaucratic process - the Work Permit/FEC and Residence permit.

 

During all of these processes, it will probably become apparent that you've been working illegally on a 'F' visa. You need to hide very well any trace of work that you have done and make it look like you are a new starter.

11 years 39 weeks ago
Report Abuse

HappyExPat:

Kaiwen: please do not place any words in my mouth. I NEVER SAID it was easy, nothing in life is easy. But only those who face adversities with balls to the wall, succeed. He is working ILLEGALY. But we do not know the type of work he or she is doing, or where, or if there are more foreigners involved, or if he is the only one, or if the company has already permission to hire foreigners or not. There are only two choices, one is to quit working and leave China immediately, the other one is to get the work visa and related documentation. To stay under an "F" visa is not a LEGAL choice, and a very poor one nowdays. Also, there are thousands of foreigners who succesfully applied and obtained a work visa up to today, and upon arrival to China, with proper documentation, finished the FEC if not already done, and pass the health exam and obtain work and residence permits. I have never said it was a piece of cake as you suggest, but it is not also extremely difficult either if you do have the proper documentation, do not have HIV or similar, or a criminal record back home. If so many have already done it, why couldn't he at least try it ?

11 years 39 weeks ago
Report Abuse

gazren:

Thanks guys, much appreciated responses.

Basically I'm an English teacher, I came to China on an F visa in Feb and then started to work for my company. Since this time my visa had expired so my company (not my school) arranged a 3 month extension of my F visa.

Since then school has now finished and with one or two hiccups I do not want to work with this company anymore.

They tell me that because I broke the contract (which I am not entirely sure I signed), they will now give me a hefty fine and also pass on my passport number to the visa office informing them as well as setting the company lawyers on me to get my money.

I left the company so I know I am in the wrong so I offered to pay for my F visa so they were not out of pocket, then yesterday I get news of my whole world collapsing from underneath me. 

Yours worryingly ....

11 years 39 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Kaiwen:

Forget any fine that they are threatening you with. Whether you have signed a contract or not, it makes little difference. Without the issue of a 'Z' Visa and RP, the contract is not worth the paper it is written on because IT IS NOT LEGAL!

 

Apply for other teaching jobs that do offer legitimate employment then walk. The most that you can lose is any outstanding salary but that may be a small price to pay. Even if they have paid for the 'F' visa, they have no legitimate hold on you.

11 years 39 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
11 years 39 weeks ago
 
Posts: 75

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Better do not listen too much to other expat's advice. Scare the newbies seems to be the game here and on other websites. The solution to every visa problem in China lays in finding a local agency with the right connections and pay what it costs. 

Report Abuse
11 years 39 weeks ago
 
Know the answer ?
Please or register to post answer.

Report Abuse

Security Code: * Enter the text diplayed in the box below
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <br> <p> <u>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

More information about formatting options

Forward Question

Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77