A 5 year limit on Z visas.

Hola!

Hello. I am a 40 year old teacher from the United States who has lived in Hangzhou and Zhejiang for over 6 years. I love living here and my life is wonderful. I am married to a Chinese woman who I love dearly, live in a great city, I get to travel around China and Asia and not have to bust my ass doing it!

I have heard that there is a limit on how long someone can teach or hold a Z visa in China, and the limit is 5 years. I have also read that one cannot do more than 5 years on a contract. That I can deal with, since I tend to bounce around a bit,but this next position I am accepting is a University job, and I want to lay roots there and not bounce around from job to job.

I do know several westerners who have lived here much longer than 5 years, there are several that were here when I came, but all of them are business people and the like. I can stay on a visa with my wife, but that will make me illegal to work. I would honestly like to become a Chinese citizen, since my life and my wife are here, and have almost no desire to go back to America for anything (except cheese dip, fritos, and big T-shirts).

Been here more than 5 years and recently got another Z visa, share! If this law is true, tell me, I can take it (or not....)

Senor

Why don't you apply for the permanent residency instead?  That requires being here for more than 5 years and being married to a local would a help.  I know 2 people whose uni has applied for this for them - one guy has been here since 1976!

http://www.zhejiang.gov.cn/zjforeign/english/node666/node982/node1003/userobject1ai10230.html

The 27th of this month is my 6th anniversary of this round in China. Had no trouble getting legal so far...and not expecting any for the future.

Might be a semantic thing. To work in China, Z visas are irrelevant once you're here and settled. The REALLY key document is the Residence Permit.

The requirements for and ease of acquiring permanent residency vary wildly from place to place. Don't know about Zhejiang but it's not too hard in Shanghai...although being married to a Chinese national for at least 5 years seems to be a key ingredient here. Jiangsu Province is a real monster for visas and residence in general, and getting permanent residence is borderline impossible...

I have a friend in Jiangsu province who has to renew his residence permit every ten years - AND he is married to a local lady. 

Warning: this is NOT information.  This is speculation based on something I read somewhere and on never having had the 5-year issue raised in seven years.

I *think* the five year thing is about continuous residence on the same residence permit.  I believe residence is discontinuous if one leaves the country for X number of days on one protracted absence each year, or for Y number of days of several absences over the period of a year.

Well, when you leave for X number of days, you still come back on the same visa and you don't give up your residency. Especially since the police registers you at the place of residence for as long as your visa lasts (unless you change the place and then you register at a new one again and it will still be till your visa expiration date despite the contract dates).

I'm not a teacher and never have been so I don't know if that makes any difference. But I have never been told of any such situation. Anything is possible but laws here are so easily overpowered by guan-xi. Your wife should know how to deal with all that if she's Chinese but she may not want to stay here...

to the OP: if you are married to a Chinese national, don't you get like a D visa that allows you to live and work here without any hustle?

Not necessarily. It often requires a fairly lengthy time married, and in some places even that doesn't necessarily do the trick. Really varies a lot from place to place...

Neither of the 2 people I know that have the permanent residency status are married at all - and not to locals.  They were granted them because they have been here over 5 years and will stay here forever.

Hola!

Found this:
http://www.careerinchina.citymax.com/notice.html

Considering the foreign expert is in need of renovating his knowledge and shall adapt his native life and find a new job as soon as possible after repatriation, the continuous term of the contract for the foreign expert to work in China is not suitable for over 5 years. The next employment shall be after two years.

I went to the University office to give them some paperwork, and the girl asked me when did I last enter China. I told her July of 2005. (I took a vacation to Vietnam, and I was only gone 2 weeks) I have really been here since June of 2001. My last Z visa/residence permit was issued in Shanghai in January of 2007 (or over five years).

I am married, and have been for over 5 years. I can get a yearly visa, and do nothing but sleep and drink beer all day if I wished. But I need the working visa to make a legal income. I know many business people here in Hangzhou (most of them dicks), and I feel if I have to take a two year break from teaching, they should be forced to do the same in their businesses. Not going to happen. Makes no sense to do this to experienced people, and I have done extensive research on the subject, and information on this "rule" is not easy to find.

If you have been here over 5 years, and have gotten the Residence Permit renewed recently, please say so. Stupid shite like this makes me pace the floor.

Zheng

I would honestly like to become a Chinese citizen, since my life and my wife are here, and have almost no desire to go back to America for anything (except cheese dip, fritos, and big T-shirts).

It's pretty difficult to be approved for citizenship.  Most applications from other than those with Chinese ancestry are either refused outright or "in processing" for years.  Even those who gave up their Chinese citizenship to immigrate abroad have troubles regaining their Chinese citizenship when they decide to return to China to stay.  But you can give it a try.  The application fee is only about 40 RMB.

Regarding permanent residency (Chinese green card), there is a wealth of misinformation available, including on this thread.  First of all, the "D" visa, for all practical purposes, no longer exists.  Also, the process is not different depending on where you apply since the Ministry of Public Security is the ultimate approval authority and they closely review each and every application in committee.  Local or provincial PSBs have no voice or vote in the decision making process.  Their role is to gather the information required and forward it to the MPS.   

There are about 7 categories under which may apply for PR.  There are none that grant PR based only on length of residence in China and a desire to live here forever.  For those who apply based on being the spouse of a Chinese national or PR, the basic requirements are:

1.  Married at least 5 years;
2.  Subsequent to marriage and just prior to your application for PR, must have lived in China for 5 continuous years -- with cumulative absences of no more than 3 months per year;
3.  "Stable" residence;
4.  "Stable" employment;
5.  Certification of no criminal record on a national level from your country of nationality;
6.  Passing a rather substantial local background investigation.

As of July of 2007, there are only about 1,000 PRs in all of China, and very, very few are marriage based.  The vast majority of applications -- even in Shanghai -- are refused.

Out of curiosity what are the six other reasons you can get it?

Out of curiosity what are the six other reasons you can get it?

I'm doing this from memory now because I am too lazy to look for my copy of the regulations.

1.  Spouse of Chinese national or PR;
2.  Over 65 and your only family in this world is a Chinese citizen or PR;
3.  VP or GM of a company that has invested amounts listed in #4, below;
4.  Owner of an enterprise that has invested $2 million in China or $1 million in central China or $500k in eastern China;
5.  Skills of special need to China (i.e. Nobel Prize economist or nuclear scientist or football coach);
6.  One who has contributed greatly to China (i.e. you have extremely high connections in the central government);
7.  Associate professor or above in a key university (No matter what your school tells you, you are not an associate professor.  There are only a small handful of foreigners who are really formal associate professors).

Tomorrow I'll try to find the official regulations and see if I remembered correctly.