Internship Visa in China

Internship Visa in China

If you are considering an internship in China, you will need to think what kind of visa you need to have for the internship. Here we listed 4 types of visas for undergraduates and graduates from local Chinese university or abroad universities to do internship in China.

TYPE 1 – For Fresh Graduates From Local University(Shanghai).

On 17th July 2016, According to the new policy from Shanghai Labor Bureau, for the new working visa application, the students are request to provide original 2+ years working reference letter instead of the copy. On 1st May 2016, to attract more foreign talents to work in Shanghai, Shanghai Labor Bureau provides a preferential policy for fresh graduated foreign student, even he/she didn’t have 2 years working experience (the minimum requirement for China working visa before), if they reach following conditions, they can still apply for the working permit and visa here in shanghai directly .

1. Master degree or higher degree (Obtain from the university in Shanghai)

2. Employed by a company registered in Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) or Zhang Jiang high technology park.

3. Skill certificate suitable for his job But if you have completed your degree and want to start you own company in China, You can legally apply for a 2 years valid S visa to be an entrepreneur and start to work or intern. The premise is you will need your degree certificate as well as a business plan or company registration verification.

Steps and documents needed

·   Original passport and visa

·   Temporary residence registration, original and copy version.

·   Submit the form of VISA / STAY PERMIT / RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION FORM.

·   1 piece of 2*2 photo

·   The health check provided by the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

·   Personal application or the company application.

·   Business plan, Original& Copy (No need for those who come as investor)

·   Company business license, Organization Code certification, Enterprise Approval  Certification, original and copy.

TYPE 2- Students Who are Holding X1 Visa.

This option is valid both for part-time job or internship with payment or internship without payment. But it’s not valid for students with X2 visa. For those students who are studying in China with a X1 Visa, they will be allowed to get paid or unpaid internships in China. You will get a X visa with “Off – campus internship” on your visa page.

Steps and documents needed:

·   Submit an internship application to your university.

·   Get approval and go to the Entry and Exit Office the city’s main Public Security Bureau to update the  residence permit with details of the internship host companies.

·   Once done, the student should then go to the Entry and Exit Office the city’s main Public Security Bureau to update his residence permit with details on the place he will be working or interning at and the period of time that he will be employed for. If you don’t have any university that can supports you with the off campus internship permit, feel free to contact us, we can help you to enroll in the program for X1 visa as well as the work permit.

TYPE 3 – Students Holding Degree from University Abroad

Before there was no visa for the international students who no degree from China to do internship in China, but now the government supports the companies in Shanghai and abroad university with more communication and interaction. The policy allows this kind of students to do internship in the companies registered in Shanghai. Those students can come with any visa to China and change it into the S visa with the permit of ”Internship ”at Port visa agency.  

Steps and documents needed

·   Original Passport and China visa

·   Original and copy of temporary residence permit from the police station.

·   Submit the form of VISA / STAY PERMIT / RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION FORM.

·   1 piece of 2*2 photo · Documents for your internship (Invitation letter, Internship confirmation. Company business license copy.)

TYPE 4 – French Under “Sino-French 1,000 Interns Exchange Program”

China and France have launched an exchange scheme under which 1,000 young people in China can apply for internships in enterprises in France. Under an agreement reached by the two countries in November, Chinese enterprises will also accept 1,000 French interns for up to six months, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. For those students under this program, they can apply for work permit or “Internship”. The employer needs to apply for the “Alien Employment License” marked “Internship” and provide you the internship invitation letter and internship confirmation letter. You can apply for Z visa and after coming to China , you need to change it into work&residence permit marked “Internship”？. This program is under government, it’s little bit complicated.

Here are the notes

1.  A trilateral agreement must be signed between the enterprise in China, the applicant and the university they are currently studying at – or the Service of Cooperation and Cultural Action – French Institute of China for those who have already graduated.

2.  No salary will be offered to the French intern under the internship program, but a subsidy covering the basic cost of living is required.

3.  Minimum duration of the internship is three months, with a maximum of six months. To participate in the program, French applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria: · Have completed two years of university education in France, or obtained the French or Chinese Tertiary Education Diploma (or equivalent qualification) of less than one year · Have a confirmed offer from a Chinese enterprise

4.  Hold a passport or international travel document with at least 12 months’ validity

5.  Be aged between 18 and 30

6.  Meet the health requirements

7.  Have no criminal record Visa for doing internship in China If you are considering an internship in China, you will need to think what kind of visa you need to have for the internship. Here we listed 4 types of visas for undergraduates and graduates from local Chinese university or abroad universities to do internship in China.

60-Day Visa Extension Still Valid for Visa Holders?

60-Day Visa Extension Still Valid for Visa Holders?

On July 17, 2020, regarding the validity of the 60-day visa extension for foreigners in China, the OT-Team consulted with seven local Entry-Exit Administration Bureaus. The locations were Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Yiwu, and below are their official responses.

Two Major Questions


Q1: As of now, is the policy of the 60-day automatically extension of the residence permit for foreigners without any formalities in China still valid?

A1: Yes, since January 20, 2020, China has been in the stage of prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic. Therefore, the residence permit of foreigners in China still could be automatically extended for two months without any formalities. However, it is unknown whether there will be any change in August.

To make things clear, per the work staff of Guangzhou Entry-Exit Administration Bureau, foreigners who under the following two circumstances are unable to get their residence permits automatically extended for two months.

  • Foreigners entering China after March 28, 2020.
  • Foreigners who have applied for a visa certificate in mainland China after February 27, 2020.

Q2: Can a foreigner with a work-residence permit automatically renew his/her visa residence permit for 60 days?

A2: The answer to this question varies from place to place.

According to the staff of the Yiwu Entry-Exit Administration Bureau, as of now, foreigners with a work-residence permit, aren’t able to automatically extend their residence permit for 2 months.

Per the work staff of the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Administration Bureau, the situation will be based on the foreigner’s individual circumstance. However, what is confirmed is that before the expiration date of the work and residence permit, foreigners who fail to buy a suitable passenger ticket to leave China can go to the local entry-exit administration bureau for a 30-day temporary stay. The 30-day stay will only grant foreigners an extra amount of time to find a solution to their situation and leave China.

As per the work staff of the Entry-Exit Administration Bureau in Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, the policy is indeed applicable, but it will affect the subsequent renewal of the visa. Once the automatic extension is made, the original work residence permit will expire, which may be considered as an illegal stay. Therefore, they strongly suggest that foreigners holding a work visa should prepare the relevant materials in advance for a face-to-face interview at the local entry and exit bureau.

Shanghai to allow overseas arrivals 7 days of quarantine at home

Shanghai announced on Thursday it will allow some overseas arrivals to complete 7 days of their 14-day quarantine period at home

Shanghai announced on Thursday it will allow some overseas arrivals to complete 7 days of their 14-day quarantine period at home starting on July 27; however, the first 7 days of their quarantine must be completed at designated locations.

Travelers are required to take a COVID-19 nucleic acid test on the 5th day of their quarantine at a designated location and they must have a fixed residence in the city if they decide to finish the last 7 days of quarantine at home.

If they return a negative nucleic acid test result, the authority will allow them to finish their quarantine at home, without coming into contact with other persons in the transfer process. Before their quarantine ends, the traveler and other members in the same household must take nucleic acid tests. The quarantine will be lifted after the 7 days if all tests are returned negative.

However, the returnees must accept the rules on home isolation; that is, there must be only one person in the household, or the other members in the same household must remain in isolation with the returnee during their quarantine period.

Those who are unwilling or unable to meet these conditions must accept the 14-day quarantine at a designated location.

Travelers whose final destination is the neighboring Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces will also be allowed to follow the same “7+7” procedure. Those who are heading to other cities, however, will be required to complete their 14-day quarantine in Shanghai.

If travelers are unable to quarantine at a designated location; for example, elderly persons, minors, pregnant women and disabled individuals, they can apply for home-based isolation if they can submit negative nucleic test results and meet the relevant home-based isolation rules.

Source: Global Times

China Issues Draft Law on Foreign Teachers – Part Time Allowed?!

With the agreement of their employer, foreign teachers will be allowed to work part-time in other educational institutions reasonably!

On July 21, 2020, in order to strengthen the management of foreign teachers, the Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, formulated the Measures for the Appointment and Management of Foreign Teachers (Draft for Comments) to solicit public opinions, and below is the major content.


Basic Requirements for Foreign Teachers


Foreign personnel should meet the following requirements before they can be employed as foreign teachers by various educational institutions at all levels.

  • Bachelor degree or above;
  • As a subject professional (including foreign language literature) teachers must have more than two years of teaching or working experience in related disciplines;
  • As a teacher of foreign language training, he/she must have been trained in language teaching, and obtain the language training qualification, and generally be engaged in his/her mother tongue teaching;
  • And for those who teach relevant courses in Chinese, their mandarin level should reach class 3B or above, or pass the HSK proficiency test to obtain the corresponding grade certificate.


Who Will Be Banned from Employment


Under any of the following circumstances, foreign personnel shall not be employed by any educational institution.

  • Words and deeds that damage China’s national sovereignty, security, honor and social and public interests;
  • Being investigated for criminal responsibility;
  • Hindering the implementation of the educational policy;
  • Drug addicts;
  • Having committed acts of sexual assault or maltreatment of minors;
  • Illegally engaging in religious education or missionary work;
  • Engaged in cult activities;
  • Sexual harassment of students or other serious violations of teachers’ professional ethics;
  • Providing false certification information in the process of applying for teaching in China;
  • Having three records of breach of trust.

Part-Time Job Allowed for Full-Time Teachers


During a period of employment, foreign teachers can only sign a contract with one educational institution. The contents of the contract shall include the work tasks, the working place, the responsibilities of the position, the term of appointment, rights and obligations of both parties, the assessment methods, the dispute settlement mechanism and liability for breach of contract.

It is worth noting that, with the agreement of the employing institution, foreign teachers can reasonably work part-time in other educational institutions. But the accumulated part-time teaching time shall not exceed the teaching time in the employing institution.


Filing and Sharing of Teachers’ Information


For educational institutions, a material copy or electronic material of the employed teachers shall be uploaded to the national comprehensive information service platform for foreign teachers, and the service platform shall generate the record number of foreign teachers, one number for each foreign teacher.

Note: The national comprehensive information service platform for foreign teachers only allows the registration of educational administrative departments and educational institutions.

For government departments, information sharing mechanisms for foreign teachers should be established, including lists of foreign teachers who have been granted work permits to work in China and those who are prohibited from employment.


Three Ways to Make Suggestions


Here are three ways to give advice about the draft, from July 21 to August 21, 2020.

  • Log into the official website of Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China（www.moj.gov.cn/www.chinalaw.gov.cn）, and click the legislative opinions collection (立法意见征集) in the home page;
  • Send an Email to : fzb@moe.edu.cn ;
  • Send via mail to the policy and regulation judicial system office of the Ministry of Education. Address: No. 35, Damuchang Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing (postcode: 100816).

Online Chinese Visa Applications Reopen in South Africa

Online Chinese Visa Applications Reopen in South Africa

As from 1st August 2020, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General in South Africa. It will implement a newly developed online visa application form and appointment booking system. All applicants are required to log on to the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center.(www.visaforchina.org), to fill out the E-form and make appointment online.

During the transitional period from 1st to 31st August 2020, applicants can still use the existing physical paper application forms. Starting from 1st September 2020, all applications will have to be submitted through the online application system. The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in South Africa will cease to accept application forms of version 2013.

For diplomatic, service and courtesy visas, applicants are required to complete the E-forms at www.visaforchina.org. Second, submit hard copies at the Chinese Embassy or Consulates in the South Africa. Appointment is not required. 

Please be informed that the Chinese Embassy, Consulates-General as well as Chinese Visa Application Service Centre are all closed at the moment due to the nationwide lockdown. The above requirements will be implemented when services resume.