Spouse visa

[Mouseneb]

Can anyone give me a couple tips on the spouse visa for trailing spouses? Here are my details:

Both of us are American, and have been working as English teachers for several years in Hainan. Husband will renew with our current school and get another working visa for the next year. I (wife) do not plan to work this year, and so we are hoping to get a spouse visa for me.

School told us I do not need a health check this year. Is that correct, in your experience?

We do have the authenticated marriage certificate.

School told us we need electronic copies of our passport-sized photos to submit with the visa applications. This is the first year we have ever been asked for these. Has anybody else been asked for that?

School asked us what class of visa the spouse visa I want is. I have been searching for this information and guess it might be L, but can anyone confirm?

Thanks for your help!

[guanfei]

If the school that you have worked with several years has said they will take care of it what is the concern you have? Every province has difference rules (I've worked and lived in 3) and our experience won't be useful for you.

[Mouseneb]

The school has not applied for a spouse visa before, this is their first time, and even they were unsure of what visa to apply for. Perhaps there are other people who've done this in Hainan recently, their experience would be very beneficial to me.

Thanks!

[anonymoose]

If you are extending a residence permit rather than applying for a new one, then usually you don't need a physical examination.

[roddy]

I'd imagine it'll be a longish L visa - that's what this guys wife got. Slightly different situation, but should still apply. I wouldn't expect you to need a health check. If you don't know, and the school doesn't know, send them back to ask the PSB. The PSB quite possibly doesn't know either, but they'll work it out.

Digital photos are being phased in, I think - there's certainly at least one of me floating around the PSB's computers.

[Tyrion]

At our immigration office, they took the digital photo of us for free on site.

[Mouseneb]

Ok, so here's what happened with this: I trusted the school to take care of it and they basically screwed it up. I don't know whether it was out of incompetence or malice and I don't know which would be kinder to believe. Husband's working visa was fine, mine was supposed to be a 1 year spouse visa, from everything I see that should be L.

What I ended up with is a 6 month business visa (F). This is not a good solution because

a) I have to go through the trouble of applying again in 6 months instead of 1 year later.

B) Each visa costs me approx. 1,000 RMB, regardless of time granted. Which I am paying out of pocket. So I will pay twice as much this year.

c) Since I can't trust the school to take care of this anymore because they are either incompetent or malicious, either way, I have to do it on my own next time.

Hope my experience helps someone in a similar situation.

[fanglu]

I was going to reply to this when Tyrion commented, but didn't since it was old. But since you've reported back...

Spouses and children of Z (work) visa holders can also get Z visas. You need to be added to the 被授权单位签发的签证通知函 that is issued for the person being employed. (They are generally issued by city governments I think.) Then, you use that document, along with the worker's 外国人就业许可证书 to apply for visas for the worker and their dependents together. Given that your husband's visa has already been issued the school might not be willing to go through the process of redoing the documents, but you could ask.

The situation for spouses of X (student) visa holders is different, they get longish L visas.

[liuzhou]

If you are extending a residence permit rather than applying for a new one, then usually you don't need a physical examination.

Not in my experience. I've required a medical every year for the last 15.

[anonymoose]

It's probably one of those things that depends on the whim of the local authorities then, because I haven't needed to in Shanghai.

[roddy]

I've always suspected that depends on how closely the head of the PSB is related to the head of the relevant hospital . . .

[Voltman]

hey, everybody.!~

i'm wondering whether anybody here knows if one has a working visa to work in china and they're married/have kids. can they bring their children/wife to china while working there?

is there anyway this can be done?

just curious

thanks

[ilovelanguage]

It should be a Z-visa and YES, you can take your family members.

Check this:

(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or who is to give commercial performances, implement aid or cooperative projects in China.

Site: visaforchina.org

Check the city and don't go to the wrong place, as I got it wrong last week - went to Chinese consulate and they are not accepting application there any more.