Dragon07
3 Jan 2009

Reminders to kabaleyans wishing to land a teaching job in china. (source: Phil. Embassy, Beijing)

A growing number of Filipinos have become victims of Filipino and foreign illegal recruiters enticing Filipinos to work
in Beijing and other cities in China.
They have ended up either underpaid,jobless, or jailed for staying illegally or beyond their visa validity. While it is true that there is a need for English teachers in China, not all schools are authorized by the Chinese government to hire foreign teachers. Most of the cases of
contract breaches and illegal
recruitment involve unauthorized
schools and fly-by-night recruitment agencies who hire Filipino teachers via the internet or by telephone.

A foreigner has to hold a working “Z” visa in order to work legally in China. Filipinos intending to work in China must have the following documents in order to get a working “Z” visa from the Chinese Embassy in Manila or the Chinese Consulate General in Cebu:

– A visa notification issued
by the authorized Chinese government unit; and

– A Work Permit for Aliens
issued by the Chinese Labor Ministry or a Foreign Expert’s License issued by the Chinese Foreign Expert Bureau.

One of the main requirements for a
foreigner to get a Work Permit for
Aliens or a Foreign Expert’s License is a signed valid employment contract with a company/school authorized to
hire foreign workers/teachers.

A working “Z” visa is valid only for three months. The holder of a “Z” visa then goes through residential formalities in the local public security department within thirty days of entry into China.

Business tour “F” visa holders are
given to foreigners who wish to
participate in a business conference, short-term course, on-the-job training, or scientific-technological and cultural exchanges for a period not longer than six months. “F” visa
holders cannot work legally in China. This visa class is for foreigners traveling temporarily to China for business purposes or as their company representative, and does not allow the holder to take full-time employment.

A tourist “L” visa cannot be converted to working “Z” visas or Business “F” visas. “L” and “F” visa holders who insist on working in China have little protection from abuse or mistreatment,
with or without the presence of
employment contracts. Filipinos are
advised strongly not to sign
employment contracts while still
holding tourist “L” or business “F”
visas. This act will nullify the
contract.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing also warns Filipinos against recruiters who lead them to believe that they can obtain
European or United States visas in
Beijing upon payment of a huge fee.
Embassies of the United States and
European countries, as a policy, do
not grant visas to tourists
(tourist “L” visa holders). One has tobe a resident of China to be entitled to apply for a Schengen or US visa in China. In cases reported, Filipinos holding fake Schengen or US visas may
have succeeded in transiting from
Beijing but end up being deported back to Beijing or Manila by European or US immigration officials.Filipinos intending to work in China are reminded of the following DO’s and DONT’s:

DO

1. Do sign a contract only if it is
written in a language that you
understand.

2. Do ensure that your prospective
employer is authorized to hire foreign workers. (Those who tell you to come to China as a tourist first can only mean these companies are NOT authorized to hire foreigners.)

3. Do obtain a working “Z” visa from the Chinese Embassy in Manila or Chinese Consulate General in Cebu or Laoag before leaving the Philippines for China, if you intend to work in China. If your prospective employer is legitimate and is authorized to hire foreign workers, they should already have coordinated with the relevant Chinese authorities to enable
you to receive a visa notification and a Work Permit for Aliens/Foreign
Expert’s License, which you need to
submit to the Chinese
Embassy/Consulate General.

4. Do register with the Public
Security Bureau (PSB) in your locality within a month of arriving in China to secure your residence permit.
Some landlords do not report to the
PSB that foreigners are staying in
their apartments for fear of having to
pay higher taxes. This puts the
foreigner at risk of being fined when
found out by the PSB.

5. Do stay with the
employer/school/hotel who arranged for
your working “Z” visa. Should you
wish to change employer/school/hotel,
you need to inform the Ministry of
Labor or the Chinese Foreign Experts
Bureau of this decision. Not doing so
puts you in a vulnerable position with
the law enforcement authorities.

DON’T
1. Do not accept a job offer that
is not signed by the prospective
employer.

2. Do not agree to be a
housekeeper/maid/nanny in mainland
China. Housekeepers/maids/nannies are not among the positions open to
foreigners in mainland China. Thus,
most foreigners working as housekeepers/maids/nannies in China
are not in possession of appropriate work permits. They are always in danger of being penalized for illegally staying and illegally working in China.

3. Do not believe agents (Chinese
or Filipino) who tell you to go to
China as a tourist so that they can
convert your tourist “L” or business tour “F” visa to a working “Z” visa. Do not believe ads offering the same
service. It cannot be done. Thus, you risk being given a fake
visa/fined/eventually deported.

4. Do not pay anyone to get you a
visa to Europe or the United States
while you are a tourist in China. Itcannot be done. Only residents in
China can apply for a visa at the
European and U.S. embassies/consulates
in China. Thus, you are only bound to get a fake U.S. and European visa.

5. Do not entrust your passport to
anybody- not your employer, not your
agent.

Welcome to China! Kabaleyan

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