Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:25 am Post subject: F Visa - can I earn money and take my wife?
Hi,
I've been offered a 9-month internship at a company in Beijing, but they are only offering me an F visa. I am planning on taking my wife with me. A couple of questions:
1. I will get a small income from the internship - is this legal on an F visa, or do I need a Z visa? Should I be concerned?
2. Can my wife be "included" under my F visa? (I know this can be done with a Z visa...)
3. If not, I guess she will have to get a tourist visa (presuming, in the worst case, she can't get a job and her own F or Z visa). If so, what are her chances of being able to stay for 9 months as a tourist, and what's the best way to do it? Go to HK after 6 months to renew?
4. Am I likely to be able to get an F visa to cover the 9 months, or will I have to go to HK to renew as well after 6 months?
I just want to make sure that this is going to be doable, and that we won't have to leave China early because a visa can't be renewed. Thanks for your help
Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Beijing Home Country: china
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:36 am Post subject:
1. If it is only internship, no problem to get a F visa only.
2. With your F visa, your spouse cannot be "included". She need to apply for a seperate L or F visa, instead of a dependent visa (Residence Permit as Alien Employee's family member).
3. What's your wife's nationality? She can first apply for a L (tourist visa) in Chinese Embassy or Consulate. After entering China, she can have L visa converted to F (business) visa through an agent, like LEEO. http://www.cn-visa.com/s3.asp
According to China visa policy, F visa holders can stay in China mainland without leaving for consecutive 1 year.
Tourist visa can be extended twice, 30 days of each time. Plus the original period, it is not easy to stay 9 months with a tourist visa only...
4. F visa issued by HK visa office always have some stay limitation (e.g. 30, 60 or 90 days of each stay if it is a multiple-entry one). It means you have to leave for HK, Macau or other countries for only an exit/entry stamp each certain period. I think it is annoying, isn't it?
Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:30 am Post subject: Good news
Hi all,
I picked up our visas today. I applied at the Consulate in Brisbane, Australia for a 180 day business visa for myself and a 180 day tourist visa for my wife. We were granted two 180 day business visas, single entry. We were told that double entry visas had a maximum stay of 90 days, and multi entry visas had a maximum stay of only 30 days, so we opted for the single entry.
I supplied an invitation letter for myself from the company in Beijing, our flight itinerary and our marriage certificate. Hope this helps someone else.
Gender: Age: 42 Zodiac: Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 1
Home Country: australia
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:04 am Post subject: Your business visa
Hi Roy,
Could you tell me a little bit more about the Business Visa for 180 days you've received? I would like to apply for the same visa. What did you put on your application? Do you have a single entry or double entry? How did your wife get a business visa as well and not the tourist visa?
On my application I put "Business Trip" for the purpose, and my occupation as "Teacher/Student" (I am a PhD student and that the internship is a PhD student internship). We were told that only single entry visas could be issued for up to 180 days, so we asked for (and were granted) single entry visas. I don't know why they gave my wife a business visa too - my guess is that they were happy to give her a 6 month stay (because she would be accompanying me, and I would be staying for 6 months), but perhaps they weren't able to issue a 6 month tourist visa, so they decided to issue her with a business visa instead - I do not know this for sure though; I was surprised at the time.
Good luck! Keep in mind that we are Australian citizens and we applied at the Consulate in Brisbane, Australia, and I don't know how generalizable our experience is. My advice in retrospect is to go prepared with plenty of paperwork (more than you need, e.g. I supplied our marriage certificate and flight booking), and just give it a go - unfortunately, you'll never know for sure until you apply and see what happens.
Gender: Age: 23 Zodiac: Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 3
Home Country: australia
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:44 pm Post subject:
You are soo lucky Waldo.
I have had an insane nightmare dealing with the Melbourne Consulate. I too was supposed to go on an internship and I had my letter from teh company yet they flatly refused to give me an F Visa which no-one else seems to have trouble with. I even showed them the description that says I can go on an internship with an F Visa and they simply did not care. Work Visa or nothing.
Canberra told me it was 'impossible' that over 60 interns from other countries have gotten F Visas without problems. I have been forced to try for a tourist visa but they won't let me get one longer than 30 days..
I did not specify Business trip on my application, I wrote other, and that i was going on an internship, cultural exchange but still, why has this happened to me? I may have to either cancel my internship or go over there on a tourist visa and forced to perhaps skip over to hong kong to get another one again. This is going to cost me soo much for something that according to the F Visa description, I should never have had to endure. They told me any internship requires a work visa.. bloody hell I try to be honest, specific and I get crushed
Sorry to hear that. I was invited by a very, very large company as a researcher - this may have helped me, though I'm not sure what your position is. I have heard that Hong Kong is a good place to get an F visa. How about you get a 30 day tourist visa in Aus, then fly to Hong Kong and try and get an F visa there before you fly on to China? If you're unsuccessful at least you'll still have the 30 days, and it shouldn't cost you too much more to go via Hong Kong. Just an idea, I haven't thought this through much.
Gender: Age: 23 Zodiac: Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 3
Home Country: australia
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject:
It was actually a letter written by the company yes. The thing is that the way I'm going to an internship (through a student organization), over 60 have gone in the past few years in the exact same way and gotten F Visas without trouble from various countries around the world. I am the first one ever to be denied this and told I need a work Visa.
The F Visa description notes that it is for short term study or internships less than 6 months so I don't know why they explicitly tell me that any internship requires a Z Work Visa.
Leeovisa, actually, mine was a letter written straight from the company, and my application was successful. That said, I have seen these letters issued by the Bureau and Leeovisa may be right in saying that this kind of letter would give you more hope. I would see if your company can get you one. If they can't, this may be an indication that the company is not well-connected and/or not really authorised to be inviting you for an F visa.
Tomek, I wouldn't worry too much about the wording of the definition of an F visa with regards to internships. In my experience, "policy" is only followed when it's convenient for them. I'd say they just weren't happy overall with something about your application - whether it be the company, the letter, or the way you filled out the application form (i.e. ticking "Other" for purpose). I don't know. I'm presuming you've let your company know of the situation? See if they can think of another way you can go about this. I would firstly try getting an official invitation letter for an F visa, if that doesn't work, plead for a Z visa (probably not much hope, though) or see if an X visa is an option.
Register
Log in
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
