Making the Move

[pokeyzilla89]

I plan to move to Hong Kong in four years. I have some worries that I'd like to be addressed: How do you successfully move from one country to another? If you don't have a job lined up before you go, then you can't get a work visa, eh? Do you need to get a residence visa, and then get a work visa? What other concerns are there?

By the time I move, I will have studied Mandarin for five years and Cantonese for two years. I've also ordered some books to become acquainted with Chinese culture. I've also ordered a book on Chinese history. I already have some very close friends from Hong Kong.

I will begin my second year of university this Fall. After I graduate, I will take a year off to work full-time since our dollar is much stronger than Hong Kong's.

I am moving from Canada.

How else should I prepare for the move? I have four years to address any concerns or issues.

[muyongshi]

I plan to move to Hong Kong in four years

It's great that you are thinking so far ahead but honestly a LOT can change in four years and I would worry about a lot of this more like a year before you move....

[liuzhou]

If you don't have a job lined up before you go, then you can't get a work visa, eh?

Correct. Work permit/visas issued by most countries are attached to a specific job. A work permit is a permit to do a specific job, not just find a job ad hoc. And the permit expires if you leave that job. You can't carry it to another.

In fact, in many countries it is the employer who needs to get the permit - not the employee.

[Lu]

Four years is plenty. I moved to Taiwan with about two months of preparations (although to be honest I wasn't very well prepared).

It's best if you already have a job lined up, but it's possible to just go and find a job while there. Of course you'd have to do that within the time you have on a tourist visa. You probably get the best deal if you can get a Canadian (or other foreign) company to send you to HK as an expat. You could keep on the lookout for a company that would do that.

Apart from that, I'd say you'd best put this plan in the back of your mind and not worry about it, and start thinking about it again three years from now. You'll still be well on time.

[roddy]

Four years is probably too far to be making any concrete plans. Put your time in learning the language(s), think about what job you'd like to do and how you can make sure you've got the profile employers will be looking for. That's about it.

[Rincewind]

Four years is a long time. Try to get a vacation over to China at some point. This will help you with your studies and allow you to plan better. Also try to add something to your study plan other than language. If you have an additional specialisation such as finance or engineering, this will help you find work more easily in the future.

[pokeyzilla89]

I realize four years is a long time, but it would be useful to have some information for future reference.

[imron]

This page will contain lots of useful information. As a Canadian, you are allowed to stay up to 3 months in Hong Kong without needing a visa. So when the time comes, make sure you've got enough money to last you three months and then go over to try a find work. Once you've found work, then apply for a work visa. Depending on what you are studying, that may or may not be easy.

In any case, coming from a developed nation means that it will be relatively easy for you to move to another country if you wish to do so. I don't know how much time you've spent in Hong Kong previously, but in preparing for the move, it might be a good idea to visit there for a few weeks to see how you like it.

[ms2002sss]

I've been looking into this recently and was looking into posting some items from the UK to China so they are there when I arrive.

• I found some info which told me that I needed to be in China to recieve them when they arrive.
  
• All electricial items will be taxed
  
• All my media (CD/DVD) will be kept and checked for up to two weeks
  

The laws were a bit more relaxed for Chinese nationals.

I have a lot to send. Mostley clothes, games consoles, and games.

now I am unsure about how to get them to China Was thinking of addressing them to relatives, but all items still need to be itemised and I am worried about charges and perhaps confiscating of my adult/violent games?

Any experiences here?

[liuzhou]

Your CDs / DVDs will probably disappear into the ether.

Electrical equipment may attract import tax. Better to carry that in, if possible.

Not sure I understand your first point. Of course, you need to be in China to collect things you send to yourself in China.

The laws were a bit more relaxed for Chinese nationals.

The laws are the same for everyone. The enforcement may be different.

I would say that, if you carry the stuff in yourself, they are less strict with foreigners. I have been in and out of China countless times over the last 15 years and have never been stopped or searched. My (Chinese) wife has. I always carry the cameras etc.

But when I accidentally left my video camera in England and had it posted. I got hit with a tax bill (guanxi got me out of it though!).

Apart from that, I would recommend that you don't bother sending stuff. Unless you are of very unusual dimensions you can buy clothes here. Much cheaper and a lot less trouble.

Same with DVD's, Games etc. You can probably buy them here for next to nothing.

[Lu]

DVD's: buy them in China. It's cheaper than mailing.

Games: bring a few of your favorites, take them out of their box and put them all in one of those CD folders (if you know what I mean). Then you have a small thing that you can just put in your luggage and carry to China. Games are sold in China too, and cheaply, as I heard.

Not bringing too many discs of any kind, and taking them out of the original boxes, also shows that you're not planning to sell them in China. Customs will likely not care that you bring a few for your own entertainment, if they bother to check you at all.

Clothes: don't bring too much, they sell those in China too. Even if you are of unusual dimensions you can have things made for you.

In my experience (5 years ago) the Chinese post system is less than reliable, so if you have anything that is particularly expensive or dear to you, best not send it by mail.

[ms2002sss]

In all the times I have been to China I have problems finding clothes. Everything is too small. I'm not fat, just you average 6,3" westerner, but apart from t-shirts clothes that fit are not easy to come by in Changsha.

With my electrics again I have too many to carry. PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, controllers, camcorder, digital camera, phone, laptop, external hard drives. Would I have space?

I love my games and the boxes are a major part of that. I have 100+ and have only completed 1 or 2 of them so taking some fav ones are not possible.Was hopeing to get more freetime in China to get through some of these.

I guess I could carry them in a disc holder and post the boxes?

Move getting closer now, beginning to stress!

[Lu]

I'd recommend bringing one game console and some games that come with it, but I suppose asking you to leave games behind is like asking me not to bring books... Either way I'd leave the boxes of the games at home, the point is playing them right, not looking at the boxes, or am I missing something.

The rest of the electronics doesn't sound too problematic. Laptop goes in a laptop bag, you can take this as carry-on. Phone goes in your pocket, no prob. Digital cameras are generally small => also in your pocket, or in your carry-on bag. Same for a camcorder, unless it's really bulky. External hard drive: the one I've seen wasn't too big, would fit in the outer pocket of the laptop bag. (Those outer pockets are also really good for heavy books, as the laptop bag isn't weighed at the airport.)

[imron]

ms2002sss, how long are you going to be in China for? Depending on the length of your stay, you might want to reconsider whether you need all the things you mention. I'd definitely give the boxes a miss. They're just dead weight.

[lilongyue]

love my games and the boxes are a major part of that. I have 100+ and have only completed 1 or 2 of them so taking some fav ones are not possible.Was hopeing to get more freetime in China to get through some of these.

Being a gamer myself, I'd say only bring on or two of your favorite games. You can have any game console modded for a nominal fee in a computer market in Mainland China, and then buy the downloaded and burned versions of the games that are for sale at all the little shops. Or, even better, just download and burn them yourself. I bought a PSP before coming back to China, and while I was in the States bought two games to tide me over. A day or two after arriving in China, a Chinese friend took me to a computer market and had my PSP modded. Now I just download games and play them. No Chinese actually buys REAL games. They are too expensive, and most Chinese want to be able to play games from anywhere in the world (the modding removes the region encoding, so you can play Japanese games, too).

Oh, by the way, don't bother bringing DVDs either, or CDs. It can all be downloaded for free. Welcome to the motherland of piracy!

[ms2002sss]

Has anyone seen blu-ray pirate copies in China yet?

Plus dont really fancy chipping my consoles, as then the online services wont work, and I still want to play with my buddys back home...assuming xbox live and the playstation network work in China?