plasticfang Posted November 26, 2005 at 07:13 AM Report Posted November 26, 2005 at 07:13 AM Hi, my friend came out to Beijing a year ago and had no problems upgrading his L visa when he got a job here. He recommended I do the same. I arrived here 2 weeks ago on an L visa. I just came out of my first job interview, they have informed me that I now cannot get it upgraded here in Beijing, I have to exit mainland China and go to Hong Kong paying in excess of 3000 rmb in travel and admin costs? is this true? I'm really tearing my hair out over this, is it a case of the school not being big enough to do it itself or will this be the case everywhere? After everything I have sacrificed and done to get this far, I cannot believe it, I just didn't see this one coming. any advice would be greatly appreciated, I want to do everything properly and above board. thanks. Quote
MarkKang Posted November 28, 2005 at 02:41 AM Report Posted November 28, 2005 at 02:41 AM I think they have gotten stricter about this since a year ago. Rules, and how they are applied change frequently in China. Quote
hakkaboy Posted December 4, 2005 at 05:23 PM Report Posted December 4, 2005 at 05:23 PM Plasticfang; does it really cost RMB3000 to go to Hong Kong and back? Have you tried going by train? Or flying to Shenzhen/Guangzhou on a discount airline ticket? I think it could be done for a cheaper amount at any rate. Quote
anonymoose Posted December 4, 2005 at 05:37 PM Report Posted December 4, 2005 at 05:37 PM I worked for a school in Dalian and was dealing with visa issues for new teachers from December 2004 to about February 2005, and it is true that the Chinese government was changing the procedures for obtaining visas. The problem was that no government department seemed to be aware of what the others were doing, and the foreign embassies didn't seem to be up to date on the changes either. The only advice I can give is, don't go on an L visa expecting to be able to change it to a Z when you get there. As far as I know, this is no longer possible without leaving the country. See if you can get whatever documents your local embassy requires from the school you will be working for, regardless of whether the school thinks you will need them or not. Once you have your visa and are in China, you will have to deal with whatever regulations your local Public Security Bureau demands, but at least you will be on the right side of the law at that point. Quote
hakkaboy Posted December 4, 2005 at 08:19 PM Report Posted December 4, 2005 at 08:19 PM I have been told by Yunnan Normal Uni that I can go on an L visa and change it to an X. Is this still the case? Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.