F Visa Invitation Letter

[xuechengfeng]

I'm working with a company which I'm not sure has any clue what's going on. Is the F Visa Invitation Letter an official document the company will get from some sort of official body and send to me? Or is it just some random letter they can write and put their official seal on to send to me?

Also, will the consulate here in the U.S. demand an original or will a copy suffice?

[jbradfor]

Last time I needed to get a F-Visa (and this was a couple years ago, so with all things China-visa related, YMMV), I needed two letters: an invite letter from the organization/company that was inviting us, AND a letter from a local (in China) government agency also allowing us in.

The invite letter did not need to be an original: it was emailed to me, and I just printed out a copy. The letter from the Chinese government agency had to be the original, and was sent to us via mail.

Fortunately, the company inviting us had enough 关系 (or practice) that they took care of both.

You also might want to get a new visa agency.....

[xuechengfeng]

Thanks for the insight. I was e-mailed a copy of an invitation letter, but it was in .jpg format. :huh:

And when I say the company has no idea what they are doing... I'm speaking not of a visa agency, but the company I'll be working for.

[fanglu]

In my experience the rules about V visas are pretty fluid. Sometimes a photocopied letter on letterhead from the company will do, sometimes they want the official notification document from a government agency.

If its convenient go to the consulate and try to apply, they won't let you if you don't have the documents they want.

edit: and make sure the letter doesn't mention the word working, or have anything about salary or allowances or anything.

[roddy]

More or less up until the Olympics something on company paper would suffice. Since then things have been trickier and you're meant to have the company invite you, and have some authority or other (usually the 工商局 I'd imagine) approve of the invitation in some format.

As with all visa rules, this doesn't apply in locations with an R in the month.

[xuechengfeng]

So if I just have some random letter, there's a possibility I'll get rejected?

I'm driving to Chicago to go to the consulate. In the event that I get turned down, is it possible to say screw it, just give me a tourist visa, or will they completely deny me a visa altogether?

[JenniferW]

I worked in China 2000 to 2006 - so things will have changed. But at that stage, not only did the invitation letter function as an official document, I remember from a conversation with a foreign affairs office member of staff at a college where I worked, being told that there were controls on being able to issue invitation letters - at a level above the college, there was a decision being made about the college being authorised to issue these letters, and what number of them they could issue every year for employing foreigners. Even if things have changed, if you know that's the background to where this is all coming from, it helps. You can ask the employer, for example, who they need to get authorisation from to issue you with a letter.

As regards a tourist visa - in my experience you just fill in the form and pay the money. That gets you into China and might get you the time then for sorting out longer term arrangements.

[fanglu]

So if I just have some random letter, there's a possibility I'll get rejected?

Yes, but, unless you're very unlucky, the people at the desk should not accept your application if your document aren't good enough.

In the event that I get turned down, is it possible to say screw it, just give me a tourist visa, or will they completely deny me a visa altogether?

If they don't accept your application, just change your application to say your purpose is tourism. Then they'll give you a tourist visa.

One word of advice, listen to the people at the counter. Even though technically they are not the ones making the decision, if they say your documents are not good enough - they're not. Apply for a tourist visa instead.

[tunilove]

Hi I had same case the factory who offer me job in china they send me contract singed and invitation letter mentioned that i will go to work for this factory when i go to embassy in the EU they said no must change to normal invitation letter for the visit visa F then when i get visa and enter to china my factory should apply ton the Chinese government for work permit then when i get that i must go Hongkong to apply for new visa type Z witch allow me to work

this what happened and shall get the work permit soon

maybe this can help you