Student visa to work visa?

[Davidfromsweden]

If i go to China with a X2-visa and then get a job can i switch to a work-visa without leaving the country? Hopefully i get a job at the Expo in Qingdao and will be employed by a Swedish employer who got a formal invitation from the mayor of Qingdao.

[laowang]

Hi David, if you go to China with an X2 visa (student visa), it is not possible to change to Z visa in China according Chinese visa policy. You have to go back to Sweden to get a Z visa in Chinese embassy.

If you can get an F visa to come to China and it is possible to renew into a Z working in China. But this you need to confirm with Qingdao immigration office with the help of your employer, Qingdao City government. For working with the government, visa is not a difficult part. So better option is you come to China with an F visa. Anyhow good luck!

[ChTTay]

...also look into going to Hong Kong, instead of Sweden.

I have changed my visa/purpose of stay in China three times. Each time has been in Hong Kong.

[rollo]

+1 for you need to leave the country to obtain a z ( work visa). Depending on the status of that z you may or may not have to return to your own country. For example and educator (a position of influence) would need to return home, but a translator would not.

[Davidfromsweden]

Thanks for all answers! I will check with the employer. I will tell you how it goes!

[ChTTay]

Educator... As in teacher?

I teach English at the moment to help me keep studying. My work got my the Z visa. I went to Hong Kong.

[rollo]

Sorry, I was a little lazy with my post. In the last 12 months in Tianjin, the policy has been different for different industries. English teachers ( for their first Z visa and foreign experts certificate) have been required to return to their own country for completion of paperwork. I ( when applying in Tianjin) was not applying for a teachers foreign experts certificate, and was given the option to go any Chinese embassy outside China to make my application. The only assumption I could make at the time, was that being given the responsibility of teaching Chinese citizens would require a visit home + more rigorous examination of documents etc.

One thing that I failed to mention is that policies vary from province to province. I know that Beijing and Tianjin are moving towards ( if not already putting in place) criminal records checks from country of origin on first application for a working visa ( a friend has already complied with such a check for a Beijing based job with Disney English).

If there's one thing thats for sure about visa policy, it's that it changes without notice, and varyingly so from place to place, so the best advice would be to consult with your local authority as close as possible to the time of actual application to get the most reliable advice.

In addition I would try to speak to as many people as possible who may have made recent applications, as getting anything close to a straight answer on the subject has been continually tough.

 

Apologies for the slack, and misleading post.