next »

[old34]

I knew I had written about this F-visa issue before here at RCS. Here are the links where I cite chapter and verse plus a honcho from SAFEA whom I heard speak at a conference. I asked him a few questions 1 on 1 afterward about the F visa as well as the 5 year rule and the age 60/65 rule. n the F visa issue he stressed it was OK for a true 6 months or less only as per the regulations cited, not as a convenience to schools or FTs which is why I said in this thread that it is rare and often not done right:

http://raoulschinasaloon.com/index.php?topic=4768.msg91934#msg91934

http://raoulschinasaloon.com/index.php?topic=6167.msg117043#msg117043

[adamsmith]

I will chime in here as I do have to work on an F-visa so have kept fairly up to date on this.

It is very tricky, and it is important that your contract must be for less than 6 months (mine are 12 week periods and are not with the chinese schools). Even then to get the F visa you must have an invitation letter and/or paperwork from the  Chinese school where you will work, from the Chinese gov't and you should not be just a teacher (if you put teacher down on the application you will most likely not get your visa.)

Most F visas now are being issued for 90 days single entry. This will not cover one semester of teaching. If you get it extended within China the new visa will be a 0 entry - this can create issues if you plan on getting a new visa from certain locations such as Hong Kong - if you have more than 2 0 entries they will probably not issue a new visa to you and this includes tourist L visas.
Be very careful using F visa's as a teacher. Not a recommended method.

[A-Train]

I'm finally and completely legal.

I took the chance and took up my employer's convoluted plan. Taught on a Tourist Visa for a month in September, converted that to a Business Visa which took me to the end of the Fall semester, changed that to a Z Visa and then applied for and received a Work Permit for China, (in addition to a UK Work Permit).

I took so many trips to the immigration office in China that I was starting to run into people I knew. And now my passport has 5 pages used up in one semester.

The Tourist part was the only thing that really concerned me. My employer maintained that it was defensible to work under a Business Visa. Pretty sure that would have involved telling a white lie or two, but I have no problems lying to Chinese authorities...or business owners...or pretty much anybody here who's awake. I've endured enough of theirs.

Now if I could just get the damn, cheap-ass Brits to pay my expenses which are, currently, north of $7,000.  They seem to have the position that I should be grateful just to have the honor of working for them.

Where is customer service worse?  England or China?