This tick list is accurate as of 8th November 2020. Be sure to check at each stage for any updates to the procedures.

1) Get required documents notarised and authenticated

Apply for a criminal background check at from a local police station in Canada. This is an official statement stating that you do not have a criminal record in the country that issued your passport. This document will be valid for the purpose of the China visa application for six months from its issue date.

-Get your degree certificate, TEFL certificate (in some cases required, check with your school) and criminal background check notarized and authenticated.

Process:
1- Get a high quality colour copies of your degree certificate and TEFL certificate notarised by a local public notary or lawyer.
2- Then get your degree certificate, TEFL certificate and criminal background check documents authenticated by the Canadian government. List of locations in Canada where to get documents authenticated.

–Contact us for a more detailed Visa Guide for step by step instructions and support on getting your documents notarised and authenticated

-Confirm with your school what needs doing

-Consider using a visa agent to assist with the process. They can offer free advice or take care of the entire process for a fee. Some suggested visa agents:

ALSC
CIBT Visas
China Visa Canada Service
Hive

Google ‘China visa agents in Canada’ for more options

Medical check certificate
You may be required to provide this, however, you may not. Please check with your school to ask if it is required.
-Book an appointment with your local doctor
-Download and print this form and take it to the doctor’s with you
-You might not have to have the blood test, chest x-ray or ECC tests done, please check with your school
-Make sure the doctor writes ‘healthy’ and signs at the bottom of the form
-Doctor must stamp over your photo on the top right of the form and at the bottom of the form
-The health check certificate is valid for 6 months from date it was issued

2) Get documents legalized by Chinese Visa Center

Once the copy of your degree certificate, TEFL certificate and criminal background check are notarized and certified, the national stamp / seal must then be “authenticated” or “legalized” by the Chinese Visa Center.

–FAQ on legalising documents
–Step by step guide for getting documents legalised by Chinese embassy

-You can submit the documents yourself or have a visa agent or trusted person submit them for you

-When emailing your documents to be notarised use the subject “Urgent documents to be authenticated (your name)”

-You can have the legalized documents posted back to you

3) Email notarized and authenticated documents to your school in China

4) School applies for ‘PU letter’ (invitation letter) and work permit notification letter

-Process can take around 3 weeks

5) Book flight

-Confirm the target arrival date with your school before booking the flight.

-Make sure you book a flight that is approved to fly to China. Some websites list flights even though they are not approved to fly to China and are therefore likely to be cancelled.

-Here is a list of approved flights to China as of 20 Oct 2020, be sure to check for an updated list of approved flights

-It is strongly suggested that you book a direct flight rather than one with a stopover. If you have a stopover, you will need to get a new COVID and IgM antibody test within 2 days of boarding your onward flight to China.

-If possible, book a flight that flies between Wednesday and Saturday, as you need to get a COVID and IgM test within 2 days of your flight, so ideally you don’t want to have to do this over the weekend.

-Get a ticket at a date that allows you sufficent time to apply for and pick up your work visa and that allows you to change the date of the flight if you need to.

-Book directly on the airlines website. Using a Chinese airline is also advisable as it may be less likely to be cancelled.

-Alternatively, consider using a Chinese travel agent as they will have up to date information on the procedures and may be able to offer flexible dates in case you need to change your flight and we have heard reports that a return flight can be cheaper than a one-way.

–FlightRadar24 is a useful site for checking the flight history of any flight for the last 7 days and for the coming 7 days, so you can check that certain flights actually flew and were not cancelled. Click Data / History at the top and search for the intended flight numbers.

6) Book appointment to visit Chinese visa center to apply for work visa

– www.visaforchina.org – click ‘America’ > hover over Canada > select city

China Visa Application Centre – Ottawa
www.visaforchina.org
Suite 1450 – 220 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1P 5Z9
Tel: 613-563-8472
ottawacenter@visaforchina.org

China Visa Application Centre – Toronto
www.visaforchina.org
Suite 1501 – 393 University Avenue
Toronto ON M5G 1E6
Tel: 416-345-8472
torontocenter@visaforchina.org

China Visa Application Centre – Vancouver
www.visaforchina.org
Suite 250 – 999 West Broadway
Vancouver BC V5Z 1K5
Tel: 604-336-8866
vancouvercenter@visaforchina.org

China Visa Application Centre – Calgary
www.visaforchina.org
Suite 200 – 855 8th Avenue SW
Calgary AB T2P 3P1
Tel: 403-930-2288
calgarycenter@visaforchina.org

China Visa Application Centre – Montreal
www.visaforchina.org
Suite 700 – 2000 Mansfield Street
Montreal Quebec H3A 2Z6
Tel: 514-680-8472
montrealcenter@visaforchina.org

-How to book an appointment 

Please note, this is the link for the Ottawa office. If you require Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, please visit www.visaforchina.org

-When emailing use the subject “Urgent Visa Application with PU and Flight Booked – (your name)”

-Getting an appointment can be tricky, some of our teachers have used a visa agent to book the appointment for them as they can have a preferential access to appointments. See links above for visa agents.

-Please note: we have heard from teachers who have applied for Z, M, or F visas. Once they arrive in China the visa is then converted to a residence permit by the school which allows you to live and work in China. Please check with your school on what type of visa you should apply for.

7) Attend appointment at the China Visa Center

-You have to attend the appointment yourself. You can not have an agent attend on your behalf.

-Make sure to bring all the required documents

8) Pick up passport with China work visa stamped in it, or have it posted to you

-2 days for express service, 3 days for regular service or 10 days for the postal service

10) Get a PCR nucleic acid COVID test and IgM antibody test within 2 days of flying

-Make sure to self-isolate as much as possible in the weeks before your flight, you don’t want to get COVID and have to cancel your flight

-According to this announcement from the Chinese embassy, starting from 7th November 2020, passengers traveling from Canada to China need to provide:
a) negative PCR nucleic acid CVOID test (this is a swab test to test if you have CVOID)
b) IgM antibody test (this is a blood test to test if you have antibodies)

FAQ from Chinese embassy in Canada on 6th Nov 2020 (use Google translate to translate to English)

Both tests have to be conducted within 2 days of boarding the flight to China. Please note, it is not from the date that the test results are issued, but rather from the date the sample was provided for the test. Please make sure to check the latest news from the Chinese embassy and airline to ensure this information is still accurate.

It is strongly recommended that you book a direct flight from Canada to China. If you have to transit in another country on your way to China, you will have to get another negative COVID and IgM antibody test in the transit country before you can board the connecting flight on to China.

Please note, you require an IgM antibody test, not an IgG antibody test. IgM is usually the first antibody produced by the immune system when a virus attacks. A positive IgM test indicates that you may have been infected and that your immune system has started responding to the virus. When IgM is detected you may still be infected, or you may have recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection. If you had a COVID infection some time ago, you are unlikely to have levels of IgM antibodies that would disqualify you from flying to China. If you have recently been infected with COVID, you are likely to have IgM antibody levels that disqualify you from flying to China.

– If your flight is on Friday, you can get the PCR and IgM antibody tests done any time on Wednesday.
– The test report needs to include: passenger’s name, date of birth, passport number, the testing agency’s address, contact number and email, the date the sample was taken, the date the report was issued and the test results (PCR and IgM results). The passenger’s name has to match their name on their passport.

Test Centers

Ottawa
https://jchealth.ca/
Add: 381 Kent St. Ottawa, ON K2P 2A8
Wechat：jingchengcanada
Tel：6136011136
Email：info@jchealth.ca

Toronto
https://jchealth.ca/
Add: 2251 Lawrence Avenue East, Scarborough, ON M1P 2P5
Wechat：jingchengcanada
Tel：6136011136
Email：info@jchealth.ca

Cloud Heathcare
Add: 419 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M5T 1G6
https://cloudhealthcare.ca/medical-clinic
Tel: 647-508-2888

https://www.fhhealth.ca/

Vancouver
TravelSafe Clinic
Add:2184 West Broadway, Suite 420, Vancouver, BC V6K 2E1
https://travelsafeclinic.ca/covid-19-testing/  604-251-1975
Tel: 604-251-1975

Midtown Medical Centre
Address：130-8780 Blundell RD,Richmond BC V6Y3Y8,
Tel：604-629-8968
Website: https://www.midtownmedical.net/

Imperial Medical Group
Address：1425—4771 McClelland Road
Richmond, BC, V6X 0M5
Tel: 604-242-3896
Wechat：diguoyiliao
Email: covid@imperialmedicalgroup.org

Montreal
Elna Medical Decarie Square/ CDL Laboratoires
Add: 6900 Boulevard Decarie, Suite M160, Montréal, Quebec, H3X 2T8
Tel: 514-373-3562 EXT 331

Laboratoires CDL, Inc.
http://www.elnamedical.com/fr/
Tel: 1 514 344-8022
Email: covid19@elnamedical.com (send your full name, phone number, address, flight time, appointment code CHINE19, and certification letter)

Clinic Medfuture
405-18005, Lapointe, Mirabel, Quebec J7J 0G2
https://medfuture.ca/collections/tests-covid-19 (you can choose drive in test or home test according to your personal situation)
Email: clinique@medfuture.ca

GMF Clinique Sante Medic-Montréal NDG
https://covidtest.santemedic.ca/

Four, Biron Groupe Santé
https://www.biron.com/en/laboratory/covid-19/

Alternatively, Google options near you. Find one that offers guaranteed results within a certain time frame, so you can be sure you will have the results on time.

-Make sure the test result includes the date and time the test was administered, the date the result was issued and your name as it appears on your passport and passport number.

Contact Info

healthcheckottawa@gmail.com , phone: 1-613-5621616 (Embassy in Ottawa)
covidcheckfortravel@gmail.com , phone 1-249-8749071 (Consulate General in Toronto)
wenhsjc2020@gmail.com , phone 1-236-9846031 (Consulate General in Vancouver)
hs@chinaconsulatecalgary.com , phone 1-403-5376911 (Consulate General in Calgary)
consulate_mtl@mfa.gov.cn , phone 1-514-2418930 (Consulate General in Montreal)

-The Chinese embassy will email you with a stamped health declaration form, usually within a few hours or sooner. Print all the documents and certified health declaration and take them to the airport with you.

Important Note: If you plan to transit in another country on your way to China, you will need to email your negative COVID and antibody test to the Chinese embassy in Canada before flying and receive a Health Declaration Form from them. You will then need to redo a COVID and antibody test in your transit country within 48 hours of the flight into China. It is strongly advised that you fly directly from Canada to China in order to avoid this.

12) Arrival at the airport

-Get to the airport at least 4 hours before your flight as check in process takes longer than usual.

-Make sure to bring your stamped health declaration form, original negative COVID and IgM antibody test result and passport

-Also bring all your notarized documents (degree, TEFL, criminal background check) as they may be needed to get your residence permit in China

Things to bring:
-Passport
-Boarding pass
-Printed negative COVID and IgM antibody test result, issued within 2 days of your flight – check specific airline requirements to confirm requirements on this
-Valid Chinese visa or residency permit
-All your notarized documents (degree, TEFL, criminal background check)
-Masks & hand sanitiser
-Phone with WeChat installed – this is needed for processing on arrival
-Download and complete the WeChat mini program ‘Customs Pocket Declaration’ on the WeChat app on your phone – instructions on how to get it here
-Enough cash in Chinese RMB to cover the quarantine costs and food or money on WeChat Pay or AliPay if possible
-Power bank to ensure your phone has power on arrival
-Name and phone number of a contact person in China
-Pen
-Download a VPN, if you wish, for use in China as they are hard to get once you arrive
-Food for the flight – some airlines only provide limited food
-Store on your phone, as will be required for forms: passport number, visa number, flight number, seat number, address in China (in Chinese and English), emergency contact in Canada, emergency contact person in China and their phone number

13) Quarantine for 14 days on arrival in China

-Once your plane arrives in China you will be taken to a quarantine hotel for your 14 day quarantine. The reports from teachers who have been through it have said things are organized very well, the hotels are of a good quality (similar to what you would expect from a 3 or 4 star hotel stay). They provide 3 meals a day.

Procedures may vary so be sure to check at each stage.

For teaching jobs in China please browse our Job Board.

On November 8, 2020, according to the Chinanews.com, 2020 Hangzhou International Human Resources Exchanges and Cooperation Conference was held in Hangzhou, which was announced that three foreign nationals, namely Rick Garson, Andre Stolz and Ali Sarikhani, have won the third prize in the innovation and entrepreneurship competition with 50,000 Yuan as a reward. Furthermore, if their projects are successful landing in the city within one year, 2 million Yuan related to the government funded will be given.

More Favorable Policies

Per Hangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, there are a series of favorable policies for overseas high-level talents in innovation and entrepreneurship, which are specifically embodied in three aspects, including project funding, housing allowance and visa facilitation. The details are as follows.

Project Funding

Young foreign talents have brought projects to Hangzhou to set up enterprises, and after evaluation, they will be funded and incubated by the government, from 200 thousand to 5 million Yuan.

Easier to Settle Down

The government will provide a maximum of 1 million Yuan to settle down for overseas talents who meet the requirements; and a one-time living allowance will be given to graduates with bachelor’s degree or above who come to work in Hangzhou, including 10,000 Yuan for bachelor’s degree, 30,000 Yuan for master’s degree and 50,000 Yuan for doctor’s degree. Moreover, each person can enjoy a rental subsidy of 10,000 Yuan per year for up to six years.

Additionally, the living allowance for postdoctoral students is different. Each of them will be given 120,000 Yuan per year, while another 50,000 Yuan will be added for the overseas postdoctoral.

5-Year Visa

Foreign high-level talents who need multiple entry and exit for visits, exchanges and more, can be issued with multiple-entry visa valid for up to 5 years.

As per the Hangzhou Municipal Government, the above-mentioned policies are to better introduce foreign talents and improve the internationalization level of Hangzhou.

On October 28, 2020, the first One-Stop Government Service for Foreign Talents was established in Shuangliu District, Chengdu City, which covers all stages of entry, on-boarding and employment of foreign personnel, including the extension and renewal of visa.

Six Aspects of Services

Per the Chengdu Municipal Government, the one-stop government service platform was set up to provide a more relaxed environment and greater convenience for expats working and living in China. Thus, six categories of services will be provided here, namely exit-entry management, remuneration package, social security, business registration agents, life and exclusive services, where the details are given below.

Services on Exit-Entry Management 

• Renewal and extension of ordinary visa for foreigners;
• Issuance, renewal and extension of residence permits for foreigners (excluding permanent residence);
• Issuance of stay permit for foreigners;
• Registration and credit rating of foreign-related units.

Services on Remuneration Package

• Consultation on tax laws and regulations;
• Personal tax declaration & tax payment consultation;
  
• Personal Tax Refund consultation.

Services on Social Security

• Consultation on social security policy;
  
• Handling of social security business.

Services on Business Registration Agent

• Business start-up registration;
• Stock rights change;
  
• Application for industry licensing;
• Registration and protection of intellectual property rights.

Life Services 

• Foreign-related legal protection;
  
• Foreign commercial Insurance;
• Accounting & auditing services;
• Translation services;
• Application for talent apartment;

• Information of rental and sale houses;
• Domestic service.

Exclusive Services

• Employment guidance;
• Entrepreneurship counseling;
  
• Project incubation;
• Financial service.

Address of One-Stop Government Service Platform
All the above-mentioned services are available at the following address.

English Address: No. 289, Wenxing section, Dajian Road, Shuangliu District, Chengdu City.

Chinese Address: 成都市双流区大件路文星路段289号

外籍人才一站式政府服务工作站

Per Chen Yu, head of the Foreign Student Management Department at Southwest Minzu University, this initiative is to provide foreigners with all-round services in life and study, and to show the process of Chengdu becoming an international city, so as to attract more expats to come and settle here.

On October 28, 2020, Guangzhou Foreign Affairs announced on its official account that as of October 20, they had approved 7,011 applications for foreign applicant to return back to China, involving 1,244 enterprises and schools. As of now, 6,529 people from 81 countries have received invitation letters by the provincial foreign affairs office, including foreign teachers, business executives, engineering and technical personnel, academicians, directors, players, chefs and all their family members

Returning of Foreigners

Per the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangzhou, there is no visa refusal among the foreigners who have received the invitation letter across Guangzhou, so it provides the greatest convenience for local foreigners to work and live in the city. Below is the industry acceptance scope of the invitation letter.

• Schools at all levels;

• Key technology enterprises;

• Commercial and trade enterprises;

• Enterprises of finance, insurance, education, sports and culture;

• Chamber of commerce;

• Representative office of enterprises.

Furthermore, as per the announcement, Guangzhou is one of the first group of cities that have issued invitation letters to foreign teachers and bring them back to China.

Favorable Policies for Better Living

Besides expanding the scope and occupation of the application for invitation letter, the Guangzhou Entry-Exit administration has also issued a series of favorable policies to solve the problem of obtaining permits for local foreigners during the epidemic period, including visas and residence permits, which are as follows:

• Set up the online processing channel for foreigners’ visa certificates, and coordinate the postal companies to carry out the “two-way express” business;
• Create the “whole-day” online service, foreign applicants can enjoy the counselling service on a 24-hour run;

• Promote the one-window service for foreign high-end talents to apply for work permits and residence permits;

• Implement the paperless examination and approval of entry and exit procedures for foreigners;

• Decentralize the authority of visa documents for foreigners to the regional bureaus.

It is worth noticing that the Guangzhou Foreign Affairs actively promotes the return of foreigners to China via the above-mentioned policies, which also promotes the resumption of work, production and education across the city.

Choosing to go to China is a life-changing experience, all for the better. However, it also requires some changes and shifts, as you could probably expect when it comes to travelling so far away from home. 

More than just the culture and language, however, is the change in the use of some of our favourite phone apps. You won’t be able to use several of your favourite apps simply because they are blocked by a firewall in China.  Since communicating with your loved ones is important, especially as an expat for your targeted amount of time away, you’re going to want to take the time to figure out these changes in communication sooner rather than later.

Does Skype work in China?

Considered to be “old” as far as technology goes, Skype is still a favourite for communicating with loved ones via video chat. Can you use Skype in China?  Yes, absolutely. This is a popular app for travellers of all ages and preferences and works well in terms of audio and video quality. You can log in to Skype using your phone or tablet as normal, and enjoy catching up with loved ones on the go.

Does WhatsApp work in China?

Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not work in China at all. This is because you need to use a VPN which is often not something that travellers want to be dealing with.  When it comes to communicating in China, it’s best to find options that don’t require a VPN, like Skype does.

Does FaceTime work in China?

You will find that FaceTime, the other popular video chatting app, works in China.  This is because it requires the Apple ID information to work, but doesn’t actually need a VPN in order to be used.  Much like Skype, you’ll just need to log in and you can use it as normal.  You may find that the video quality differs than when you were back home, but it is still possible to communicate using FaceTime.

Other apps that don’t work in China

Other than WhatsApp, it’s important to note that there are quite a few apps that don’t work in China.  While it isn’t the end of the world to have these apps blocked, it’s probably something that you want to be familiar with before you go, just so that you aren’t relying on them when you do arrive there.  Some of the biggest ones to think about on the blocked apps list include: Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, Google, Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, Quora, Tinder and Twitter.

This is not a full list, of course, but this does offer you some of the biggest names that you are going have to adjust to not having on hand.  It seems strange to be going somewhere that doesn’t allow you to access Google, but this is the case in China.

Best apps to use in China to make video calls

The good news, however, is that there are plenty of great resources to look at when you want to make sure that you can make video calls when you are enjoying your time in China.  Here are the top options specifically for video calls:

WeChat:

This is by far one of the most popular video call apps in China.  Both the video and the audio quality are exceptional and it is often preferred for this reason.  WeChat is sort of like WhatsApp meets Facebook as far as its functionality.  You’ll be able to connect with loved ones and communicate easily with them.  It’s great for both audio and video calls, but most people enjoy the video calls simply because the video quality itself is pretty incredible.

Skype or Skype for Business:

Since FaceTime in China doesn’t work as well as you’re used to back home, you may find that you prefer Skype or Skype for Business instead.  If you really don’t want to have to download a new app specifically for video chatting, this is an especially useful idea.  Both of these work well and the video and audio quality tend to be pretty good for the most part.  

Pinggle:

Lastly, you’ll want to consider Pinggle. This is sort of like Skype, but it is designed specifically for communication within China.  When you want a video or audio chatting app that is designed to work within the censorship of China on both sides of the conversation, this is probably the more streamlined option.  

Use a Chinese SIM card for international calls

When it comes to making calls within China, you’ll want to consider getting a Chinese SIM card specifically for those international calls themselves. Not only will this allow you the freedom to call via a mobile network instead of being reliant on WiFi, you’ll also be able to call people without having ot use apps that need to be working properly on both ends.

You can find a series of options for SIM cards, and you’ll want to put some effort into making sure that you are getting a SIM card for the zone in which you re looking to stay in.  This will keep the rates very low and you’ll have all of the conveniences of a full SIM card like you would anywhere else.  If you are travelling a lot in China itself, you’ll notice that the rates for placing your calls may go up.  Again, it’s not a significant amount, but it is something to think about.

Conclusion

When you go to China to enjoy a brand new life experience, it’s all about keeping things light and fun. However, being able to communicate with your loved ones while you’re abroad is important for a lot of reasons. 

Make sure you do your research before going and be ready to take on any challenges that may arise when you get to China, especially when it comes to your phone.  This will keep your experience as positive and productive as possible.