Work on a Tourist L visa and be paid in US dollars to a US bank account

[anonymous12345]

Hi all,

So here's my current visa snafu. I just graduated from my university back in the States and have arrived in China for work. I just got hired by a Swedish company and now we need to change my L visa to be something that allows me to work here. Unfortunately, I'm not eligible for a Z visa - I just graduated 3 months ago and still don't have the required 2 years of employment experience after graduation. And if I were able to get an F visa, I still wouldn't be "legal" as you can't work full-time earning a monthly salary on an F visa. I could go for the F visa, but it's a very expensive and complicated process, and even after I finally got one I'd still have to leave the country every 90 days or so (or apply for another F visa which is expensive at the end of 180 days). The only surefire way I know that I can get an F visa exactly the way I need it would be to use a super expensive agency here in Shanghai.

So here's my idea. Why can't I just keep my L visa, which is valid for a year (90 day multiple entry), and simply be paid by my Swedish company in US dollars directly to my US bank account? As long as the flow of money stays outside of China, can't I just act as if I'm working here remotely? Or if the authorities came to inspect my situation, I guess I could just say that I'm not working for the company at all and that I was simply here visiting some friends for the afternoon? Of course I would do this all with my supervisor's consent.

There's got to be some other hurdles with doing this that I'm still unaware of. Think this is a good idea? Thanks!

[bunny87]

a recent graduate bumming in china with the excuse you're still visiting friends for an afternoon...? don't think that would fly. from my understanding, lots of people (illegally) work on tourist visas. while it seems easier, the one time you get snagged, it'll bring you and your company down into some international bad water. however, if you decide to go this route, get your supervisors consent in writing.

[anonymous12345]

Yeah, I'm thinking this probably isn't the best route to take. So now here's the latest option I have. I've been calling various visa agencies based in Shanghai, and one of them, a service which I'm finding is rather popular based on how many times they're mentioned online (but I won't name them), wants to help me get a real working Z visa in an illegal way. They want me to send them a digital copy of my diploma and then alter it to show that I actually graduated 2 years ago. They would then submit all my documents with this fake diploma and get me a real Z visa.

This is attractive in that they could do it for me really cheaply (like only a little over 2000 rmb), and I would not have to travel anywhere, which obviously saves a lot of time and money. On the other hand, the best option I heard about for getting a 180 day single entry F visa (which, again, would still be illegal to work on) would require almost 7000rmb, and that does not include a required trip to Beijing.

What repercussions could this action create? Obviously there's the risk that I or the agency is caught in the process of faking my diploma, but if I do get a real Z visa after it, would it affect my job in any way? For example, my company will have on their books and paperwork my real date of graduation. I mean, I guess this could be changed, but would this Z visa in any way get me in trouble down the road, even if it's a real Z visa?

What do you think? Should I do something illegal to later become 100% legal (Z visa)? Or should I pay a lot of money for an F visa and stay in a "gray area" and say I'm doing a paid internship?

Thanks for the continued support.