A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #525 on: April 29, 2012, 08:51:13 AM »
Wow, Clos...that's one ugly spot.
Sounds like a new city is a good idea...this is one of the worst stories I've heard. Are you really sure you want to stay in Zhengzhou? oooooooooo

Otherwise, there may be nothing you or the Consulate can do. It sounds like the Zhengzhou guv has it set up all nice and legal-like, and the Consulate can't do anything about Chinese law. llllllllll

Another option would be to just not take the FEC. If you have a Residence Permit, that's all you really need anyway unless you're needing to send money home frequently. bfbfbfbfbf
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we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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xwarrior

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #526 on: April 29, 2012, 09:01:00 PM »
Clos:
First time I have heard that a TEFL is required for an FEC.

My thinking is that if you have:
1. a degree
2. 2 years of work experience
you should be able to get an FEC.

I am not sure if your consulate can help, but anything is worth a shot. A call to SAFEA in Beijing could 'clarify' policy in Zhengzhou.

I am not sure what kind of visa your school has in mind when looking at HK for a solution. The only appropriate visa they could issue is a Zvisa - and that would just put you back in Zhengzhou facing an application for an FEC from the same department.

Quote
Another option would be to just not take the FEC. If you have a Residence Permit, that's all you really need anyway unless you're needing to send money home frequently.


I think you need the FEC to be eligible for a Residence Permit. mmmmmmmmmm
I have my standards. They may be low, but I have them.
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Clos

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #527 on: April 29, 2012, 10:19:45 PM »
Clos:
First time I have heard that a TEFL is required for an FEC.

My thinking is that if you have:
1. a degree
2. 2 years of work experience
you should be able to get an FEC.

I am not sure if your consulate can help, but anything is worth a shot. A call to SAFEA in Beijing could 'clarify' policy in Zhengzhou.

I am not sure what kind of visa your school has in mind when looking at HK for a solution. The only appropriate visa they could issue is a Zvisa - and that would just put you back in Zhengzhou facing an application for an FEC from the same department.

No, the TEFL is not required for a FEC/Z-Visa like the office is saying.  They're telling me the money is to pay for the class to get a TEFL.  When asked if having a TEFL already would be sufficient, they said no.  There will be no real TEFL coming out of this.

It's a bribe, plain and simple.  The government office wants 4500 RMB to do their damn job and process my paperwork.  I have the degree and work experience, and even my poorly translated CV shows this.

All the foreigners at my school and 4 other foreigners I had dinner with (from Luoyang Normal University) all came here on tourist visa and flew to HK to get a Z-visa.  This seems to be a pretty regular process, not to mention my school pays 100% of the costs.

I guess my question is how can I get a friggin government office to do their job without being hassled for a ridiculous bribe?  The only thing I can think of is threatening with the US Embassy and the negative attention (bad for face?) I could drum up.

I really do not wish to leave Henan

Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #528 on: April 30, 2012, 03:17:26 PM »
Something similar happened to me a long long time ago in Golmud, Qinghai province...

I thought that this sort of BS was fading away in modern China, especially in a big(ish) city like Zhengzhou.

Don't pay the bribe. F-'em. Scumbags.
两只老外, 两只老外,跑得快,跑得快,
一个是老酒鬼,一个是老色鬼,真奇怪, 真奇怪

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NATO

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #529 on: April 30, 2012, 04:38:30 PM »
Yeah thems some shady goings on. I think El Macho's advice is sound - try and get the name and officer number of those involved then go to SAFEA.

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Rin

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #530 on: May 02, 2012, 03:59:24 PM »
Hi all,
I am in Hebei and was told last year, when I renewed my contract, if I wanted to renew again this year I had to get a TEFL. Though I was free to choose the company, and didn't have to pay any bribe.

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #531 on: May 02, 2012, 04:04:29 PM »
Yep...BA and TEFL isn't universally required yet, but seems to be a growing trend. bibibibibi
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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Rin

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #532 on: May 03, 2012, 01:37:31 AM »
I don't have a BA and that was difficult to get around last year! Mainly because the recruiter I had used the year before had used fake documents, so it was on record that I had a BA.. I didn't know they had done this til I was applying for a job myself without a recruiter.  bibibibibi

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old34

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #533 on: May 03, 2012, 01:43:53 AM »
A roundabout way of affirming that: "Yes, a B.A. is pretty much required these days."
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. - B. O'Driscoll.
TIC is knowing that, in China, your fruit salad WILL come with cherry tomatoes AND all slathered in mayo. - old34.

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Rin

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #534 on: May 03, 2012, 01:50:22 AM »
Yeah, I think I will be ok if i stay with my current employer.. Well, I hope so!

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Clos

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #535 on: May 03, 2012, 09:34:53 PM »
Thank you to everyone that gave advice.

A very wise person sent me a few PM's to help me get this mess sorted out.  Most of it was just a communication problem between a group of Chinese people not wishing to lose face with each other.


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cruisemonkey

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #536 on: May 03, 2012, 10:32:38 PM »
A very wise person sent me a few PM's to help me get this mess sorted out.  Most of it was just a communication problem between a group of Chinese people not wishing to lose face with each other.

I'm glad it all worked out. I got my FEC & RP in Zhengzhou... no problem (but I have a TESOL Certificate).

This thread made me realize something -
I would never council anyone to do anything illegal that might get them: fired, detained, fined and deported; but in the entire process from job application to receiving the FEC & RP after arrival, I never showed 'originals' of my documents (except the 'Physical Examination Record For Foreigner' form... which the Consulate wanted to issue the Z visa) to anyone. Getting the 'Working Permit' and 'Letter of Invitation' was all done with scanned copies of of my sheepskin and TESOL.

I was sorely tempted to save myself $327.00 and have a fake, 'Dr's. office' stamp made and forge the PREFF. I would have been so easy.

To get a Korean work visa, you have to show originals of everything. They also have to be apostiled (or verified by a Korean Embassy/Consulate if your country is not party to the Apostile Treaty) and notarized. What a world of difference!
The Koreans once gave me five minutes notice - I didn't know what to do with the extra time.

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Nolefan

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #537 on: May 04, 2012, 12:42:27 AM »
lucky.. in Beijing, it's been all originals or nothing for a few years already, especially when working in normal companies. And they're not joking about this at all..

no original degree = no papers..
alors régressons fatalement, eternellement. Des débutants, avec la peur comme exutoire à l'ignorance et Alzheimer en prof d'histoire de nos enfances!
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cruisemonkey

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Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #538 on: May 04, 2012, 10:11:34 AM »
TIC... in China or out, the only consistancy is inconsistancy. Laws and regulations are either interpreted or 'made up' by by individuals on whims that some how seem to always line that individual's pockets... but are justified by being "For the good of the people".

When I applied for my Z visa, I was told I must supply a round-trip ticket to the Consulate. Of course, one cannot find out exactly what is required because the Consulate does not publish the requirements and no one will answer the phone or emails... one must go through a travel agent and cannot apply 'in person'.

This how the conversation went -
TA: "You seem to have everything so I will book you a ticket... we have better price than anything you can find online."
CM: "Cool... but I'll book a ticket after I get the visa."
TA: "You must submit round-trip itinerary to get visa. I will book you a ticket."
CM: "I'm not applying for an 'L', it's a 'Z'... a work visa, so I don't need a round-trip ticket... and I don't ever want to come back to Canada."
TA: "Consulate change rules last week."
CM: "That makes no sense."
TA: "Sorry... I must give Consulate itinerary."
CM: "Itinerary... or ticket?"
TA: "Itinerary. I will book you a ticket."
CM: "No, I will buy a one-way ticket after I get the visa."
TA: "You must have itinerary."
CM: "So... make up a fuckin' itinerary."
TA: "One moment please... I will phone the visa expert." (ten-minute phone call in Mandarin) "Sorry, price on website is wrong."
CM: "Price for the visa... or airfare?
TA: "Price for visa."
CM: "How did I know this was coming."
TA: (Puzzled look)
CM: "How much?"
TA: "$173.00"
CM: "Okay."
TA: "You must pay cash for visa... ticket you can pay cash or credit card."
CM: "I'm not buying a ticket until I have the visa.
TA: "One moment please... I will phone visa expert." (Ten-minute phone call in Mandarin) "Good news... you don't need round-trip ticket because it is Z visa."
CM: "No shit."
TA: "I will book you a one-way ticket."
CM: "Jesus H. Fucking Christ, how many fuckin' times do I have to fuckin' tell you I'm not buying a fuckin' ticket until I have fuckin' VISA!"
TA: "Oh... I'll just make up an itinerary then."
CM: "Brilliant. You do that."
TA: "When do you need visa?"
CM: "Well, the contract starts February 1 and today's January 25 so I guess as soon as possible."
TA: "Normal processing time is ten working days but we can do faster if you pay more."
CM: "How much more?"
TA: "It depends."
CM: "Yeah, yeah just tell me how much... and remember the fuckin' Consulate is closed for New Year... Gung Hey Fat Choi."
TA: "Okay... I will give to Consulate and book you ticket."  
bibibibibi

I was issued the visa despite my name being misspelled on the WP; bought a ticket after I got the visa and was only three days late arrivng in China.  bjbjbjbjbj
« Last Edit: May 05, 2012, 01:18:12 PM by Raoul F. Duke »
The Koreans once gave me five minutes notice - I didn't know what to do with the extra time.

Re: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall... (THE VISA NIGHTMARE!)
« Reply #539 on: May 18, 2012, 08:59:33 PM »
Unsure if this is just a Shenzhen or Guangdong or even nationwide thing, but just got home from some work training & the guard of my building stopped me to fill in a police form, checking visas & res permits, basically checking up on where I live. Not sure if this is a regular occurence or directly related to the Beijing incident of late but I am possibly expecting a knock on the door in the next few days!
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