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A November Update on the Work Visa Situation in China
Posted in Chinese Visa Information on 11/12/2008 10:39 am
We are hearing from around China that the visa situation is much better now that the Olympics are well behind us. Native speakers of English who are coming to China to work for a legitimate English school or training center should now have no trouble securing a residence permit and foreign expert’s certificate. However, the Visa process has not (and may never) return to how it was before the Olympics. Here are a few pointers that we have picked up on in the past few weeks that you should be aware of as you apply for your Visa.
– In many areas of China, foreign teachers must now be physically present at the police station when their schools apply for their residence permits. In the past, it was often acceptable for the school’s foreign teacher representative to turn in the necessary paperwork without being accompanied by the teacher. We are also being told that teachers are being asked more questions than before about their lives and plans in China.
– In some parts of China, it appears that the fees associated with acquiring a residence permit/work visa have doubled since the Olympics.
– Contrary to rumors that have been posted on this site (and others), there is no policy that prohibits the issue of a foreign expert’s certificate to a non-native speaker of English. However, we are hearing from teachers and schools that the government seems to be a little ‘picky’ these days. A friend of mine who heads up the foreign teachers department at an English training center recently told me that if the foreign expert’s bureau determines that a person’s accent is too strong and that they would not be a good English teacher, it has the right to deny that teacher a foreign expert’s certificate. She told me that recently, an Indian-American woman was denied an expert’s certificate because her English skills were deemed as too weak.
If you are working for a school or training center that has a good relationship with the local police, you should have no problems. Just remember to always be polite and act grateful when you visit with the police.
If you have questions or comments about the visa situation in China, please leave us a message below.
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11/13/2008 at 8:27 am
Cheers for the information. Glad to know things are back to normal. I would assume that the visa is obtainable at any embassy again and not just in your native country???
11/30/2008 at 9:20 pm
Funny how these rumors get started. Just got a message from a friend in Thailand telling me that China is kicking out all foreign teachers.
Information in this article is 100% correct.
Old Codger
Nantong University
Business School
Nantong, Jiangsu
11/30/2008 at 9:30 pm
@Old Codger,
Thanks for the comments. It is amazing how rumors spread amongst foreign teachers in China. I’m just happy that things are back to at least a ’semi-normal’ state.
01/03/2009 at 2:10 pm
My application for a visa to work in Dalian, China got turned down due to new government policies relating to “issues pertaining to age”. (I’m 22.) I was also told that work visas can only be obtained in one’s native country, so as far as visas are concerned, I don’t believe that policies have relaxed since the Olympics. If anything, visa policies have gotten even stricter, at least where people under 25 are concerned.
01/03/2009 at 11:10 pm
You will discover throughout Asia that policies do tend to change quickly, and are not always followed in the same way from province to province or city to city.
Officially, the work permit in China is called a “Foreign Expert’s Certificate.” Someone aged only 22 can hardly be called an “expert” in most circumstances. I am much older than 22 and there are times that I question whether I am an “expert” in my chosen profession.
Personally, for teachers specifically, I can support the concept of no one under at least 25 being a teacher in any foreign country.
Ultimately, policies have relaxed since the Olympics, but it is probably that they are not as relaxed as there were prior to the Olympics. Ultimately, it’s their call. Working in China is a privilege, not a right.
Old Codger
Nantong University
Business School
Nantong, Jiangsu
03/16/2009 at 5:21 pm
I’m just curious if anyone has heard about a policy wherein foreign teachers
in public schools here in China are only allowed to teach for two years
in the same school. I’ve heard some news about this and have confirmed that
some foreign teachers needed to move to another school after completion of
two years teaching in their school. I was just wondering there might be other
reasons for the school letting them go, and just telling them a foreign teacher
cannot teach in the same school for the third year. Thanks
03/16/2009 at 6:38 pm
@Jones,
To my knowledge, there is no such policy on the national level. I personally know teachers who have been teaching at the same place for 5+ years.
That’s not to say that an individual school might not have that policy but I am guessing that it is an excuse used by schools to let a teacher go, as you suggested.
03/16/2009 at 7:16 pm
@Robert
Honestly, my wife and I are in our second year of ESL teaching in a public
middle school and we wanted to stay here for another year. However, our
school cannot give us the assurance if we could still teach for the third year
or not. They said that they wanted us to stay but it will depend upon the
Education Bureau if they will approve it or not and we don’t want to be left
hanging after our contracts end by September this year. So I guess we need to
start looking for another school if ever we will not be rehired.
I just want to take this oppurtunity to thank you for establishing such
a wonderful website. We really find it very helpful - the articles, forum, and
specially the Free Enjoy English ESL lessons that we are using with our
students.
More power to you!
Jones and wife