Visa questions?????? "L" and "D"

[liuzhou]

hey, what happens if i decide to work without a Z visa? also can i work with an F visa?

What happens? usually nothing, but it is illegal

Can I work with F visa? Not legally.

[woliveri]

ok, this is my experience with the F visa from outside of China and from within.

If I was to get the F visa from the US there is a time limit on it.. 30 or 60 days, I can't remember. So I need to go out and come back... I can't do that.

If I was to get the F visa from within China I can stay as long as the visa stipulate. That is, if it's 6 months then I can stay 6 months, etc.

So, I came on a tourist visa and will change to an F visa soon.. That way I can stay the full 6 months to a year.

Last year I came on an F visa to study which was a 6 month visa.. I extended that visa for another 6 months and stayed the full year without leaving China.

hope this helps.

[nitropuppy]

Howdy Socks, I got my first "L" Tourist visa in New York originally. I paid for a 90 day duration of stay. I then came to China and married my gal. One week before the visa expired, I went to the local PSB (Public Security Bureau) and applied for a 1 year extention. This applies only to a person married to a chinese citizen. (Which you say you are)

Bring an extra photo of your face. (passport size) Fill out the application, mark down how many exit/entry's you want and then they'll give you an appointment to come back in a few days. You'll hand over your U.S. passport and they give you a receipt with a "legal" document in replacement. Hang on to that.

Come back for your appointment, pay the fee, and you'll get your passport back with the new visa in it. You won't have to leave China for this 1 year extension. But, after the one year is over, you will have to leave and start all over. Just go to Hong Kong. Get a 90 day visa and then extend again.

Mine cost 680 RMB. for a 1 year visa with 2 exit/ entries permitted. I'm in Sichuan province. Chengdu to be exact. Each Province may vary slightly. But, the 1 year extension seems to be country wide.

You should contact me privately through this site. I'll give you my e-mail address. Xinjiang has some interesting things going on. I heard about a new world class ski resort being built in the Tianshan Mountain range. I am currently involved in the skiing industry in Sichuan province. So, I would love to share some tidbits with ya'.

Also, I would like to share some thoughts on this culture versus ours. It's such a startling contrast. I wonder if you veiw things in a simular manner. So far, I'm lovin' it here. The people are friendly in comparison to the area of the U.S. where I came from.

Good luck, Nitropuppy

[Socks]

Thanks for all of the replies... I think a trip to our PSB office is in order to see what the deal with them will be! I think that I finally understand everything (or I hope I do!)

Whew, I hope I finally got it sussed out!

Thanks,

Sock

Off topic Alert! Nitropuppy... where exactly is this ski resort? We have a (very small) one near where we live... When I look out my window now, I can see the Gobi desert and the Tianshan mountains... I would be interested in checking it out when it opens...

[djwebb2004]

The people are friendly in comparison to the area of the U.S. where I came from.

You have so much to learn! People who want something out of you are friendly. They're probably the same people trying to screw you. When I tell my gateman how lovely Chinese people are - a bit of bullshit to butter him up -he immediately replies, "how can you have lived in China for so long and still not understand the culture?" However, secretly I do understand the culture...

[djwebb2004]

Is it hard for companies to get you a Z visa? I went for an interview with a translation agency as a proofreader. They want me ot move to their Chengdu office, and the salary would be 8000 yuan (how does that compare in Chengdu? I don't know), and they will "try" but not guarantee to get me a Z visa. But I want to stay in KUnming and work 2 days a week in their smaller Kunming branch for enough money to live on and an easy life. Do companies hold a Z visa over you to try to get you to do what they want or something? Surely it is a simple matter getting you a Z visa? I am on an F visa...

[cdn_in_bj]

when you applied directly for the F-visa, how much did it cost?

425 RMB

Do you actually have the documentation to support a F-visa?

Yes, I did. The documentation required depends on individual circumstances. In my case, a letter from my employer and my employer's Chinese business license. If you are missing documentation, it may be worth it to go through an "agent".

[banjo67xxx]

After reading here that you can get a 1-year L Visa as the spouse of a Chinese citizen I went down my local (Jinan, Shandong) PSB to apply.

First they sent me off to my local police station to register the address I was staying at (I've been very naughty and never registered with the PSB before), then after that they sent me back to get an application for permanent residence (even though I wasn't going to want permanent residence just yet, nor get it for 5 years anyway), and finally they told me that they'll do me a 6-month no-reentry L-Visa extension for 1800kuai.

The local travel agency only charges 30pound for each 30-day L visa, so I told them its not worth it.

They advised me to come back with a letter from an "employer" and they'll give me a multiple-entry Z visa for a lot less (and the way it was said implied very much that they didn't care if the job was real or not).

PS: No travel agency wants to bother with anything complicated like spouses L visas, or more than 30 days per entry. However, because my plane tickets showed I would be in China 53 days the embassy gave my travel agency a 60 day L visa this time.

[djwebb2004]

Banjo, the Chinese embassy in London will give 90 day L visas, but you can't get them in Hong Kong. Ii am not sure why. Maybe the London embassy realises it is in China's interest for people to spend money in China (hello, hello, Chinese bureaucrats, anyone home??)

China increasingly strikes me as a rogue state we shouldn't be investing in. Why should you have trouble getting your visa as a husband of a Chinese? There are 10s of millions of Chinese abroad that walk into citizenship - and the Chinese government is quick to allege discrimination in the US and other parts - while maintaining extremely restrictive rules itself. China has the full gamut of double standards. Why are Chinese visa £30? You might say, well the UK visa is £30. But the UK is an advanced country and probably does not make any money on the visas, as this is a small sum in the UK. They have staff earning Western salaries to pay etc. Where does the money go in China? China is simply run by an extremely greedy bureaucracy...

[Socks]

I just wanted to update you... I went to the PSB, and they said that they could only renew a visa one time for 90 days...

So, I guess I am still screwed any way I try to get a legal visa... Which makes me ask this question (I hope it is allowed): Does anyone know of a reputable black market agent that can whip up a fake Z visa?

Thanks,

Socks

[banjo67xxx]

It sounds dangerous getting a fake visa. I suggest you're better off getting a fake job (like my PSB officer hinted at), or a university course (I've seen elsewhere here that some universities don't care if you turn up, so you could even get a real university course). Then you can get a real X or Z visa.

[nitropuppy]

Socks, can you clarify your situation? Did you go to the PSB with your spouse? Did you show them the Red marriage booklet.? The one with your photo in it. Your spouse needs to show his too. Also, are you presently here on an "L" tourist visa?

Secondly, if I were you, I would not attempt to purchase or obtain a fake document. This can land you in deep trouble. You will likely get ripped off and your passport could just disappear. Then you're in deeper trouble than you can comprehend. If you are here on a tourist visa, have your husband go with you to the PSB. Fill out the extention application together. He will need to show his official marriage document. (Red booklet)

Then things should be handled normally. As I said in my previous reply to your post.

For the "Z' visa, you need an employers letter and their documentaion for hiring you. They have specific paper to file.That's extremely difficult to fake. Even with the documents for a proper "Z" visa, you might have to exit the country if your here on a "L" visa. Unless you're starting work immediately for a government University.

Your best chance is the "L" visa extention. But, you must be legally married to a chinese citizen. Officially and legally documented. Of course, if you grease the correct palms at the PSB, anything is possible. But, that has become hazardous too. The central government is on an anti-corruption bent. Just the mention of a payoff can potentially cause legal troubles. My advise, just do things legally. You don't want to risk forced deportation, fines, jail, loss of a passport, or having to look over your shoulder all the time. Be an honest citizen. Once you start breaking or bypassing laws, it's hard to turn back.

[mr.stinky]

even if the universities don't care whether you show up for class, the authorities might.

during the occasional crackdown, they do check attendance records at the unis. if a

student has not been in class for some (unspecified) period, their visa can be revoked.

a better option may be to register at a private school with a minimum number of study

hours required - maybe 2 or 3 hours a week of tutoring - to be considered a registered

student.

[onebir]

during the occasional crackdown, they do check attendance records at the unis.

This happened at a school I was at; it's a real risk.

a better option may be to register at a private school with a minimum number of study hours required - maybe 2 or 3 hours a week of tutoring

Are there any with such low requirements?

[mr.stinky]

i'm not aware of any private schools that publish a minimum requirement, as there is

apparently no government regulation distinguishing between full- and part-time students.

it seems they usually just try to mirror the unis, offering a range of 10-18 hours per

week per semester. of course, the office staff will just reference the brochure and say

they can't do it - it's the rules (but whose rules?). you might be able to convince someone

higher in the feeding chain take you on for fewer hours tutoring, but is it worth their while to

handle the paperwork and visa?

[onebir]

you might be able to convince someone higher in the feeding chain take you on for fewer hours tutoring, but is it worth their while to handle the paperwork and visa?

Which is why I thought it was unlikely... (Unless you pay over the odds perhaps.)

there is apparently no government regulation distinguishing between full- and part-time students.

That's interesting (& a bit strange)!

[djwebb2004]

So, I guess I am still screwed any way I try to get a legal visa... Which makes me ask this question (I hope it is allowed): Does anyone know of a reputable black market agent that can whip up a fake Z visa?

I think that's a REALLY bad idea. Why don't you just go to HK and get a one year F visa?

[adrianlondon]

I doubt you can get a fake visa, as they're all scanned at the airport.

What you may be able to get is a real visa, via a dodgy (ie bribe) method. The semi-dodgy way (which also means it's semi-official) is to get an agent to send your passport to HK and get the visa there. Or go to HK yourself (the cost is similar) and get the visa.

I think this route would work out cheaper than the bribe/loads-of-guanxi method. Plus, if you do get one via a bribe, you won't know whether it's a real visa or a fake until you get to the airport.

[cdn_in_bj]

I agree with the others, get a legit visa. What you are contemplating is not worth the risk. If you need "help" with the "paperwork" to get a visa, find an agent.

Don't forget that you do have to pass customs when exiting the country; if they find out that there are problems with your visa, they can detain you at the airport.

[xray83]

Hey guys just read this thread.

I see you guys have experience with emoo. I was thinking when I go to China next year I will use them to convert my L-visa to a 6 month or 1 year multiple entry F-visa. Is their service legit? Do you need to provide any business invitation?