The first step in applying for my 'Z' or work visa is to have a health check. The Education Director at the school in Shanghai was not sure of the process for me to get this, or even if this was actually the first step. She suggested I come on a tourist visa and get my Z visa by going to Hong Kong in a couple months, which the school would pay for. I thought this was a strange arrangement and said I would go ahead with a Z visa, since I have the time. It's not legal to teach with a tourist visa, and I've heard of teachers having problems renewing them when they want to stay.
Now that I am going through the process of getting a Z visa here, I think there are several reasons why she (and other schools) suggest it. For one thing, you can go right away, and the schools in China want that. I think they feel that the longer you wait to come the less likelihood there is of you getting there. I think another reason is that it gives you and them a trial period once you arrive to see if you are really going to work out on the job. Also, starting out on a tourist visa lets you skip the health check here. Doing it this way I have to have a health check up here and then again when I get there.
So the first step in getting a health checkup is getting the correct form for the doctor to fill out. The Education Director didn't have it, so it was a help that my brother suggested asking the recruiter for it. She emailed the form to me right away. It is a good thing for me that I had a check up this year, and my doctor agreed to fill out the form for a nominal sum. Then I stapled my visa photo to it and emailed it back to Shanghai.
I also made an appointment at a travel clinic to get my immunizations updated. That was quite expensive.
Now I wait for the school to send me the work permit and letter of invitation. They already sent me a contract, but I need these papers to apply for a Z visa. She said this will take 20 working days, and then 10 more for the letter of invitation. With Chinese Spring festival and the offices being close for holidays, it will be about 2 months.
After that, I will either overnight them to a travel agency in Chicago (which costs about $150 extra, but they will personally make sure my papers are secure and my visa is processed), or drive down there myself and pay a fee for an expedited visa. The Chinese Embassy says I can get an expedited visa in about three days, and they will mail it back to me. The travel agency has sent me specific requirements for the visa, which I was having trouble getting from other sources, so that is a good sign.
I've weighing the differences in time, money and security. I will have to see what is going on with my schedule in 2 months. Who knows what will happen in that time? The answer to that is, when traveling (and making travel arrangements) you never know what will happen.
