Changing Of The Guard II (Visa Questions)

[Arlis]

In direct relation to Changing Of The Guard, yet another friend is ARRIVING from the outside world to hopefully replace the other teachers leaving. ;D No, once again this is not I who is arriving!

Concerns are that the two teachers leaving have not officially given their notice (they are waiting to find an apartment first). Therefore my other friend (referred to as Friend X) shall arrive on a tourist visa from Oz. He's not overly concerned about wether he is able to teach here or not as he is only definately staying for under 6 months. I would probably place bets however that he will get hired as he is available, foreign, and with a degree! Not that I'm a betting man- so I'd like to make sure.

Question:
* He's arriving on a tourist visa from Oz. I've heard there's been a change by the government making it damn hard to change F visas for Z visas in-country. Does this still hold true?
* More importantly, with a 6 month stay will he need that visa? I heard that Oz visas are renewable up to 6 months. I couldn't find confirmation though.
* To make it even worse, he wants to visit a friend during the May holidays in Japan. So out of the country for a few days, come back, finish teaching. Will this be a huge problem? I just have no clue on this one.

Sorry to bother with boring visa questions. I just couldn't get any confirmations on these ones from info I've read!

[Raoul Duke]

Hard to call the first question...seems to depend on location. Some places are making this change harder, while some seem to be making it easier. The bottom line seems to be the connections of your school. When your friend is offered a job, be sure and mention the current visa status and see what happens.

To stay in China at all, it is necessary to have some form of visa or Residence Permit coverage at all times. To WORK in China for a Chinese employer and to live in an apartment (rather than a hotel or officially designated guest house) the letter of the law says that you must have a Residence Permit. The F (Business) visa, technically, is for people drawing salary from foreign companies and living in hotels or company accomodations. A lot of people ignore this, and the chances of trouble over this are small...but they aren't zero. Living and working here without a Residence Permit-even for one day- IS taking a risk.

Almost any kind of visa can be renewed for one term.

Leaving the country and returning is usually not a problem at all. Before leaving, go to your local Entry-Exit Bureau office and purchase a re-entry visa. It usually takes about 3 days and isn't terribly expensive. You don't even have to involve your school, although they may be willing to assist. Note that schools will normally not pay for re-entry visas involving personal travel.