Has anyone tried to extend a Z visa before?

[yonitabonita]

Hi all

I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried to extend a Z visa on their own.

I've got a Z visa which expires in April. I've also recently resigned from my job, so obviously my workplace can't extend the visa for me. I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried to extend it on their own.

It's a total long shot - I know. I also know that alternative options are to enrol in a university and get the student visa, or to leave China and re-enter on a F visa. Just trying my luck really.

Thanks folks

Yonita

[roddy]

Good to see you around again.

I don't think it can be done. The entire point of a Z visa / residence permit is that you're being employed by someone. The only possible route I can see is that some visa agencies also offer these, albeit at quite some price, so they may be willing to 'employ' you so you can get the residence permit extended. Not sure if that's a route you want to take.

Are you planning to find another employer, or do you aim to just . . . be here?

[yonitabonita]

Heya Roddy

Good to be back.

Yeah, I thought as much. It was just wishful thinking on my part.

I'm not back on the job market, I just wanted to hang out in China without having to deal with the visa issues too frequently. Looks like I might just have go the university route.

Thanks for responding.

Y

[liuzhou]

I'm not sure I understand your question.

A Z-visa is an ENTRY visa allowing you into China to take up employment with a specified employer. Once you enter China it only has a 30 day life and must be changed into a residence permit during this time.

You say yours is valid until April? Not if you have already used it to enter China, it isn't.

Anyway, if you have quit the job which allowed you to get the Z-visa in the first place, you ain't covered. It is employer specific.

Do you have a residence permit? If not, you got a problem. If you've been here more than 30 days, your Z-visa has expired.

[roddy]

You can get 6 month F visas via agencies at a price. Not sure how straightforward those are if you're currently on the residence permit though (which as Liuzhou points out is technically what you have now, rather than a Z visa).

You mentioned elsewhere that you travel out of the country often. If that was for work it might now be irrelevant, but if you can get yourself overseas and then apply for a longish-term L visa, that might work. Even if there's a short stay restriction, with the overseas trips it won't matter so much. I got (this is 2008, mind) a six month L visa, two 90 day stays, in Thailand very cheaply from the consulate.

[yonitabonita]

Sorry to have been unclear. I have a residence permit which expires in April.

The constant overseas travel was linked to the job, though a visa run to Thailand doesn't sound that bad at all.

Thanks guys

Y

[gougou]

In case you haven't done that yet, you should also make sure that your employer won't cancel your residence permit, which they are required to do by law. Many companies are not aware of that, though, or choose to ignore it.

[yonitabonita]

Thanks Gougou for the reminder but I'm sure my employer didn't terminate my resi permit.

I left on very good terms. To their credit, they didn't pull my Z visa application even when I was serving out my notice - if anything, knowing I was leaving, they poured resources into hounding the MOJ to hurry the visa along even when they had no real interest in doing so. (with the exception of maybe keeping good relations with me)

They did let me know that they were under an obligation to inform the MOJ of my departure, that said, I have a resi permit in my passport that doesn't have a cancelled stamp on it. I entered China just three weeks ago using that permit and no one batted an eyelid.