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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Will the companies really sponsor a legit visa / work permit?
I have a question regarding the Z visa + work permit. As I'm currently in China (not holding a Z visa or work permit), most of the recruitment agencies seem to want me to start working right away, saying that they will sponsor the legal work permit but it'll take time and thus I'll have to begin working without a legal permit. My question is: would they ever really file the paperwork and get me a work permit, or are they just trying to make me believe they are doing it, and hope that by the time I realize it I won't care anymore? Are there any companies that will first get you the work permit and only then let you work? I'd like to hear your experiences, especially here in Guangzhou!
7 years 37 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - Guangzhou
Yes, Kate, it is possible... but unlikely.
It will depend on the school, and just how legal it really is. The big names - Wall Street, Disney,, Web, EF, etc most likely will get you that visa (but... that's not to say that some HR person will not want you to start before you get it anyway! Which is still illegal!!) Also remember, although they may be big internationally known brands, they're still franchised, and so the local branch may suck balls to work for!
Any small, local school - forget!
GOOD schools should never have you working without being legal - up front!!! Good schools know this, and have your paperwork done right quickly...
Most likely, Co. which demands you start with work immediately (under other visa) won't change your visa into the Z, which is the only legal visa to work in China.
Anyway, you are illegal, if you work in China under any other visa but Z!
For Z, you'll be required to exit China and apply at Chinese Embassy abroad, most likely in your home country or in HK (if lucky!).
Your Co. should apply for Working permit and Invitation letter, which after they are approved by SAFEA (Foreign Expert Bureau) must be mailed in original to your address abroad. That can be completed in less than 30 days.
With both documents handy, you can apply for Z visa at Chinese Embassy. Pay attention how you will fill-up Z visa application form, because pen editing isn't permitted. Bring few photos, too!
You could ask them to show you special license for foreign hire, which Co. in China must possess to sponsor Z visa. If they have such license, they might get you on Z visa. Good luck!
FinKate:
Thank you for your answer, that is exactly what I was thinking and thus turned down the job offers! But do you know if there are employers who are actually willing to do this the legal way? Every single employer that I've encountered this far has given me this "start working now, get the permit later" answer.
icnif77:
I usually work only with Public Schools, who always had 'foreign hire authorization'.
The shortest way would be to ask your employer about Z visa application procedure (in China) and see their 'foreign hire license'.
If they'll start to telling you they must apply for Working permit and described, they might be serious and get you on Z eventually.
Otherwise, they'll just use you, so demand 'Z visa application process to start ASAP'.
Don't trust or work with agencies. Go home and do a work visa correctly.
FinKate:
Yep, that's my plan! I told the interviewers that if I get the job, I'll travel to my home country asap to file the paperwork there. As they didn't seem to like the idea, I take it that these jobs were not for me. Just trying to find the right approach.
I second what Icnif said.
Trusting people who ask you to work illegally might or might not work out, but it really is just playing with fire.
If you can, apply directly to schools who are legally able to get you the Z visa and RP and whatever you decide to do, I strongly suggest talking to the other FTs there, they will be able to tell you how reliable the promises are.
I would spend some time on google finding the names of potential schools and contact them directly.
Good luck.
FinKate:
Thanks for your valuable comments! Do you know if there's a way to find out which institutions are actually legally able to get the Z visa, other than contacting every school and trying to find out which one is willing to do the paperwork without having me start working first? (Anyway, I have no plans whatsoever to work illegally, so I'll keep on looking.)
Ditto for me! Education is more of a money thing in China. Why should a school pay money for licensing etc. to get the proper documents. The compensation packages from the private schools in China have gone down allot too. 30 to 40 hours a week is becoming the norm for private schools in China. Meanwhile many parents are telling me that the tuition to send their loved ones to a private school is increasing. Notice the proliferation of probation periods. All of the probation periods are one sided. They could fire you before payday. So now they have a months worth of work from you and you have no legal recourse. If you happened to sign a lease for an apartment, you are now out the money you paid up front for the lease.
Yes, Kate, it is possible... but unlikely.
It will depend on the school, and just how legal it really is. The big names - Wall Street, Disney,, Web, EF, etc most likely will get you that visa (but... that's not to say that some HR person will not want you to start before you get it anyway! Which is still illegal!!) Also remember, although they may be big internationally known brands, they're still franchised, and so the local branch may suck balls to work for!
Any small, local school - forget!
GOOD schools should never have you working without being legal - up front!!! Good schools know this, and have your paperwork done right quickly...