Getting+your+working+permit,+visa

Information from Relocating to Shanghai--connect **[|here] **.
Once you are hired by Concordia, we will need to follow a procedure to relocate you to Shanghai. See the [|Flow Chart of New Teacher Visa and Residency Procedures.] The Human Resources Manager and HOS Office will manage the process. Do not begin this process until you have contacted her. If you have questions, contact Tanya.wu@concordiashanghai.org

//__ Before arrival Shanghai __//// : // You will need to have a Chinese visa to enter China but to do this you will need a packet of information from Tanya. **//Do not apply for a Chinese visa without this packet unless instructed by the school//**. To prepare this packet, we have to collect the related documents from you for the application, see the Employment Checklist: [|Residing Outside of China]; [|Residing in China]for all the documents requested. Between **June and July**, Tanya Wu will send you a FedEx package of the documents for your visa application. Complete the application form (Tanya will provide you a sample) for the visa at your nearest Chinese Embassy/Consulate. If at any time you have a question about the process contact Tanya at tanya.wu@concordiashanghai.org Usually the application takes about one week. You could either go in person or work with a local visa agency. Tanya will be very specific in the paperwork that she sends you as to the type of visa to apply for, typically this is a 30 day working visa. Please review the need to have authorized copies of the marriage certificate (for non-teaching spouses) and dependent children’s birth certificates if they are joining you in China (see the Employment Checklist: [|Residing Outside of China]; [|Residing in China] for details.) If you have questions please contact us. Here are visa agencies our staff has used in the past.
 * []
 * []
 * []

//__ After arrival Shanghai __//// : // There are two legal documents we need to work on: the “Foreign Expert Certificate” and the “Residence Permit”. Please provide your passport copy and visa copy to Tanya Wu after you arrive. A physical checkup is required for all adults by the Chinese government at a designated physical examination center. Once you arrive in Shanghai, Concordia will help you through the process of exchanging your visa for your residence/working permit. If you want to handle your passport yourself, take a trip to one of the five Chinese consulates in the U.S. They are located in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston. In addition, there's an embassy in Washington, DC. You can find more information at their website:[|Embassy and Consulates General of the PRC]

**//Note://**
 * The “Foreign Expert Certificate” is your legal work license in China.
 * The “Residence Permit” is like a **multi-entry Chinese visa** allowing you to freely move in and out of China on a one year basis as well as proving that you are legally within China.
 * It will be **around one month** to obtain these two official documents after your arrival.

//__ After obtaining all the documents __// : The original “Foreign Expert Certificate” and a copy of the “Residence Permit” which are good for one year are kept by Tanya Wu in the HOS Office. The school helps you and your dependents living in China to renew these documents every year according to the contract. The school pays the costs for visas after your initial visa to China which is your responsibility. The individual is responsible for costs and absences required to maintain a valid passport. __Questions__: The visa you will apply for arrival in August is normally a 30 day working visa. However, there are situations that new hires fly in with a different type of visa. Eventually, we will help transfer it to a multiple working visa. Please make sure you contact Tanya Wu at tanya.wu@concordiashanghai.org  if there are questions.
 * When I apply for my for my visa should I apply for a tourist or multiple entry visa? **

No
 * Do our children need the same physicals that we need? **