Business Visa

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old34

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Re: Business Visa
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2012, 12:29:19 AM »
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
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.

Re: Business Visa
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2012, 06:43:27 AM »
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.

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A-Train

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Re: Business Visa
« Reply #17 on: March 11, 2013, 06:12:16 AM »
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?
"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore attempt the impossible and achieve it, generation after generation.

Pearl S. Buck