advices about going to live in Shenzhen

[imron]

Any ideas for how much money I can open some business, like small restaurant or something and to get the papers for legal stay ?

You need a minimum of RMB 100,000 (~USD$15,000) to start a wholly foreign owned business in China, though this may be more depending on the city you are in and the type of business you want to start. You will need to consult with the local Administration of Industry and Commerce to find out the specifics for your type of business and the city you are in (your girlfriend can probably help you here). That money can then be used by the business for its normal operations, but it has to be in a special bank account for the business in order to get your business registration.

If you start your own business, you'll be able to sponsor yourself to get a working visa and associated residence permit.

[Shelley]

A thought occurs to me, if you want to be with this girl so much and presumably want to spend the rest of your life with her, why not get married, then visa problems etc. should disappear. This is what happens elsewhere in the world.

I think you could then go and live and work in China with no problems. But I do not how all of that works.

I am not sure what the legalities are. You would have to research it thoroughly.

Also if getting married and committing to the rest of your life in China seems daunting then maybe you should think this whole thing through again because from what you say she is never going to leave China and live with you somewhere else so you will have to live for the rest of your life in China to be with her.

If this is all too much, try to find a nice Bulgarian girl and settle down to a happy, pleasant, contented life in Bulgaria. You will get over your Chinese love eventually especially if you feel unable to commit maybe its not true love? How long have you known her?

I am only saying all this because it a big decision you are making.

Think about it long and hard.

Choose wisely

[liuzhou]

I think the law is similar in China and Singapore for the foreigners

You think wrongly. And the culture is very different. Singapore is more international.

I can open some business, like small restaurant

Apart from the legal requirements which are not easy to comply with, do you realise that there are literally millions of restaurants in China, all of which are competing to survive? The restaurant business is the one most likely to fail. And I'm not sure there are many people in Shenzhen really interested in a Bulgarian restaurant.

nobody could find some normal job

Yes. Chinese people. Can I find a job in Bulgaria without knowing a word of Bulgarian and having no skills which Bulgarians don't already have?

I'm sorry, but you have to be a lot more realistic.

[liuzhou]

if you want to be with this girl so much and presumably want to spend the rest of your life with her, why not get married, then visa problems etc. should disappear.

If only.

Marrying a Chinese citizen does not do away with visa requirements. There is no spousal visa in China. At best you can have an extended tourist visa, but cannot legally work.

[edelweis]

I suggest you contact the Chinese embassy in Bulgaria to enquire about any kind of cultural or commercial exchange. Perhaps they can give you information about Bulgarian firms that do import/export with China and so on (or, perhaps they have dates of commercial fairs, conventions, etc... any kind of lead might be useful).

Also the Bulgarian embassy in China, they may have contacts with cultural associations, expat associations and so on.

One skill you have which is uncommon in China is of course the Bulgarian language. Also you seem to have a good grasp of English, at least good enough for the workplace, if not for teaching. So you could could try to find a job with a Bulgarian firm that has factories or partner companies in Shenzhen, or a Chinese firm that deals with Bulgarian customers...

Also, there must be some Bugarian expat forums on the internet. Maybe not dedicated to China, some kind of general forum where Bulgarians exchange experience about their life abroad. You could try to look for people that reside in China in such forums.

Bulgarian universities that teach Chinese language may have some collections of links or contacts for internships, I suggest you try that too.

You will have to search hard for opportunities, and make your own contacts. Don't rely only on this forum.

Also, I didn't quite get what is your major? Can you try to look for a job related to that major in a Bulgarian company that works with China? (Or even, an international company that works with both Bulgaria and China).

[bulgarianguy]

I am that kind of a person, for me the most important are the feelings over the other things, and I felt this girl and I want to be with her, to live with her, so I made my decision already, I was thinking a lot about it of course, but I am 2 months already far away from her and can't stand like that alone without her. Basically I know is very hard and big thing, but I choose to go in China and live with her, I will be happy then. Now i am not happy and can't live like that I will finish in some hospital for mental sicknesses. That's the emotional part, Shelly. I already know that I can't get the papers if I marry her yes and can't legally work. And good point for the restaurant business, I just gave an example for a business, really not a lot of people will be interested in bulgarian stuff maybe. My hobby mostly is weight lifting and fitness kind of stuff, so I hope some opportunity in that to appear in the future, I see some foreigners work that in China as personal trainers(researching the web, websites). Thank you for all the responses people, and mostly I appreciate the answer from edelweis, it's looks really useful and real, I will try to contact the embassies, thank you for the advices !

[bulgarianguy]

My major is informational brokerage, dealing with and selling information (in few words). It will be useful I think, but I don't have any experience yet in similar job.

[bulgarianguy]

People, what do you think about that http://www.fusionfitnesssz.com/about/ ? Is it possible for me too, if I have the certificates ? I don't dream in the beginning to have a big business like that, just to start as personal trainer. They have an international team, that means the government gave them the needed legal papers to live and work in Shenzhen. Looks an opportunity for me, it's my hobby, and I will take care of the peoples health as a reason for the visa and work permit. Any thoughts ? Just thinking, I will follow the advice of edelweis and contact the embassies too.

[aristeon]

Dear guy from Bulgaria,

first of all, don't despair, life is full of opportunities, and even if you shouldn't find a job you could at least say you've tried.

As pointed out above, chances are you won't get a job as an English teacher. Unfortunately, native speakers are preferred, at least in the big cities. However, if you're still young you could try to study in China. I don't know your background, but maybe you could get a scholarship to study Chinese and eventually get a bachelor's or master's degree there.

Another option is to try and find another job. You could do an internship or if you have some capital open an import-export company and export some stuff to Bulgaria or vice versa. Shenzhen is close to Hong Kong, so you might have more opportunities. Don't give up and good lick. No matter what happens it will be a great experience!