Z Visa and Age

[Matteach]

I'm getting conflicting information about Z Visa's and the age required.

Is there an official requirement that you be 25 years of age? How fluid is this in Shanghai, in particular, if that is the case?

I plan on going to China a year from now, when I will be 23 with a bachelor's degree (and 6+ years experience working at the same company, as well as getting some ESL teaching experience here in NYC).

Will getting my Z Visa be a problem? Or will I simply need a "connected" school? Or will any school at all do?

[jbradfor]

AFAIK, there is no age requirement for a Z visa. HOWEVER, a common reason to get a Z visa is as a "foreign expert"; I forgot the exact requirements, but I believe they include (i) a minimum of a bachelor degree, and (ii) 3-5 years work experience. If you take the age one normally gets a bachelor's degree (22) to the minimum years work experience, that's 25 years old....

[zhouhaochen]

last time we applied for a Z visa, we had to wait until the candidate turned 24 before they approved it (thank God was just two months later), they wouldnt accept the application beforehand.

But after years of dealing with the Visa offices here, I can say the only rule is that there is no rule. There are just probabilities that something might be required/accepted/rejected.

So I would say, you are much more likely to get a Z Visa if you are older than 24, but that doesnt mean it will automatically rejected, its just more likely. Same for if you are above 24 and have the work experience, you are more likely to be accepted, but not for sure.

I suggest, apply early and be prepared. If your company has all their legal documents in order they should be able to get it through. Most likely at least....

[kdavid]

There can be age restrictions on visas, depending on the mood, and relationship with, the person issuing the paperwork.

Technically, in order to be issued the invitation documents and subsequently the resident permit, you must have two years of *teaching* experience. Most office workers assume that the "outside world" is governed by the same rules that China is, and as such you must have first graduated from college (around the age of 22 or 23) before you can start working. With that said, this isn't regulated as tightly as the age limit.

Recently, the government has stopped issuing Z visa invitation documents to teachers 60 or older. Again, because, according to the Chinese, everyone over 60 should be retired and at home looking over grand children, teachers this "old" can't be allowed to work in China.

Again, there can be, and are, exceptions.

So, to answer your question, you shouldn't have a problem with any of this. Schools in Shanghai may be pickier as the demand for foreign teachers there is much lower.

[zhen_shuai]

@Matteach

If you plan on working in Shanghai, I would be very careful about this. In order to get a Z visa, you will need to first get an Foriegn Experts Certificate （专家证）for which I have learned the hard way that you are required to have a minimum of two years _post bachelor's degree_ full-time work experience. Again, as far as I have been able to ascertain, it doesn't matter if you've worked before or during college, all they want to see is that you graduated more than two years ago and were working during that time period.

In the past they were apparently more lax with this rule. If you're just interested in teaching English in China, I would apply with a school somewhere outside of Shanghai or Beijing. The money you would save on rent and food could quite possibly make up for the difference in salaries (and add to that the possiblity that you might have to make monthly trips to Hong Kong assuming your application gets rejected). Also, apply from the US or wherever you live. That seems to make the process go smoother, and gives you more options if your application gets rejected. The only (rather large) downside is that you won't be able to shop around jobs and may have to work out at a contract at a school that you dislike.

[Matteach]

Thank you for your replies.

If employers see that I am 23 and do not have much in terms of "Guanxi", are they likely to go through the process of applying for a visa unless they are sure they can get it through?

If I am unable to find a job in Shanghai, and find a job elsewhere, is it possible after say a year to look once again after having found a job elsewhere in China?

I really have my heart set on Shanghai, if that's possible. It's not about salary.

Would a city like Shenzhen be easier?

[Matteach]

Also, at the time of my application I will likely have a year volunteer experience teaching a weekly ESL course for Community Impact through Columbia University (though I am not a Columbia student). Can having experience make the process easier, though half that year would be in my final semester?

[kdavid]

You're young and (will) have a BA. If you add "white" to that list, you're pretty much ideal, and finding a job in Shanghai will not be a problem. Someone will take you for sure.