Z Visa Work Experience

[tstanleyuk]

So I have been offered a job in Beijing. Wahoo. The only problem is that I need to work out how to get a work visa... and it looks like a nightmare. 

 

Before the details, I'm a UK citizen applying for the Visa in China. I currently have an L visa. I have a BA and MA from the UK and have also spent 1 year studying Chinese at BLCU and one year at PKU (北大).

 

I am really struggling on how to present my work experience.

 

I'm told I need two years of work experience but I really only have about 1yr and 10 months. However, I did briefly run my own company and this would explain the gap, but I closed the company years ago and don't have any headed paper or anything like that, so writing an official letter on plain paper claiming to be the previous director of my own company seems a bit weird and not very trustworthy. I do have the certificate of incorporation and the register of shareholders showing that I was the only owner, but they're digital documents and again, printing them off and saying they're real doesn't look very official. And we all know that in China whether something is official or not is nowhere near as relevant as whether it looks official or not, preferably with a big red stamp on it somewhere, which my letter would lack. 

 

I've been told to stop worrying too much because I have BA and an MA from UK universities and graduated five years ago and am a UK citizen... but I want to add everything I can and was wondering if anyone here has any suggestions or recommendations? 

 

Cheers all,

[ZhangKaiRong]

What is the reason for the company not helping you with the visa issues? In case of a normal, reliable employer, they should help you handling the whole process... Other cases are sort of red flags about your employer.

[ChTTay]

Yeah, unless they've never hired a foreigner before (in which case, can they now legally do so?) then I'd expect the hiring company to sort this for you. All you realistically need to do is provide whichever documents they ask for and let them take anywhere you need to go in person.

As for the work experience, depends on what job you've got. Most of the time I think they just go by what's on your CV which can easily be altered a little to meet whatever requirement they need. They usually don't need proof of employment letters for every company you've ever worked for.

Even then, half the requirements you read online can be bent a little. I know people who teach in Beijing that don't 100% meet them but they're close. You meet some English teachers who are 21/22 so it's hard to see how they have 2 year post graduate experience.

Press your potential employer to sort it out. If they don't know how, tell them to find an agent.