It’s easy to fall in love with China during just a short visit. Many people, following their internships in China, choose to take their new found knowledge and experience to the next step, which is applying for fulltime work in China.
An internship through ImmerQi is bound to lead you towards finding yourself a career, and this could very well be within China. When looking for work independently, some foreigners encounter serious legal problems with the Chinese government because they either work in China on tourist or other non-Z visas, or they accept part-time employment or private work without obtaining the proper permission.
Violation of Chinese laws can result in severe penalties, including imprisonment, fines of up to 500 RMB a day for overstaying a visa, or deportation. It is your responsibility to understand local laws and obey them.
Some prospective employees enter China on tourist visas before formally committing to a position. Should you do this, after finding a position you will need to obtain the sponsorship documents necessary to receive a Z visa; however, you may have to leave the country in order to be in China on a Z visa.
In some cases the potential employer will promise to help obtain the Z visa in China. The employer will take your passport during this process, leaving you without a passport for a potentially lengthy period. The length of time it takes to obtain a Z visa in China varies by region. In Beijing the process generally takes five business days. You can check with the local Public Security Bureau for the normal length of time it takes to process a Z visa application in other locations.
Institutions that take passports for a lengthy period may be trying to obtain visas through illegal means and should be avoided. Until a valid Z visa is issued it is illegal to work, even though a school or company might apply pressure to do so during this period.
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