• Steps to Recovering a Lost Passport: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1MLuk8JizvyNDcdhRNaDdQ

The different visa agents that we work with

1. In Beijing
   1. 马文博，WeChat: wenbo453716
   2. 张志茹， 136 0129 7966，北京睿思同成管理咨询有限公司，北京市朝阳区农展南路5号京朝大厦9层，特点：比较严谨和专业，常规的签证申请都可以交给她完成，很多专业方面的知识她都了解，可以咨询她。
   3. 林海，13810813088， 北京市朝阳区光熙门北里2号楼， 地址2：北京市朝阳区嘉汇中心B区302 （向林海寄件的话，需要和他确认具体寄到哪个地址），特点：他在外专局有熟人，比较棘手困难的申请案例可以交给他做（比如，一个案例，志茹说她没办法做的可以交给他完成）。他很忙，每个步骤到了时间节点记得催促他。如果不及时回复就多多催问，语气客气随和就好。
   4. NAME
      1. 11,000 RMB per person, not including tax
      2. Add 3% if we want a fapiao
      3. Pay the money within a week of the foreign teacher entering the role
   5. Virginia
      1. WeChat: wxid_dd06yogwvm722
      2. She added Joseph from a WeChat group.
      3. Price
         1. 4800 RMB for 1-2 year work permit and residence permit application
         2. 1200 for the government fee
         3. translation fee of 130 per page
2. In Shanghai
   1. Sully Sulivan (based in Hangzhou, able to help people based in Shanghai. He can train our staff in the visa process, or he can do the process for us)
      1. Can get a hard copy of FBI background check in 17 calendar days
      2. WeChat ID: Sully-Sullivan
   2. 上海宝雅商務諮詢有限公司, 上海宝雅因私出入境服务有限公司, 上海霍雅文化传播有限公司
      1. Tina (李佳瑛) Do not use this agent. In March 2019 she made mistakes that caused Shang employees a lot of money and stress.
         1. WeChat ID: Tina3223
         2. Phone: 139-1786-3822, 021-6520-0500
         3. Address: 上海市静安区南京西路699号东方有线大厦1803室
         4. Email: tinatplan@163.com, baoyayinsi@hotmail.com

How to apply for a work permit & work visa for a new foreign employee

1. Candidate must provide the following documents to Shang (Note that while Shang covers the cost of the visa processing, the costs of gathering documents are borne by the individual.)
   1. A valid US Passport with at least 6 months validity before the expiration date;
   2. Home address in USA
   3. Resume from high school onwards showing at least 2 years of relevant work experience
   4. Proof of Employment Letter showing a minimum of at least two years working experience outside of college.
      1. The letter needs to include:
         1. Company letterhead
         2. Document date
         3. Your name as it appears in your passport
         4. The length of your employment (date range)
         5. Physical signature and/or stamp
      2. Scan every page of the original hard copy, this document needs to bear either an original signature and/or be officially chopped.
   5. A recently-taken color passport color photo (bare-head, full face) against a white background of the size of 48mm×33mm
      1. https://www.beijingesc.com/photo-requirements.html
   6. Proof of a non-criminal record from home country
      1. This can be either from the FBI or from a local police department
         1. If it is from a local police department, then it must generally must be notarized (although this varies by state; in some states having the document signed by a public official such as a police chief is sufficient), then authenticated by the Secretary of State. Each state has a different procedure for this, so please check ahead with your state. Normally by searching STATE_NAME apostille you can state-find specific information. This process can sometimes be intimidating to those who have never done it before, and you can find more relevant information here.
      2. This document must be authenticated by Chinese consulate or embassy. You can find helpful information about this at the website of the US Embassy in China.
   7. An official true copy of the diploma from your highest degree. The registrar should execute an affidavit attesting to the validity of the document before a notary public. It is required to notarize the original or photocopy of the diploma with two statements: one declaration statement and one acknowledge statement. This process can sometimes be intimidating to those who have never done it before, and you can find more relevant information here.
      1. You can sent something similar to the following to the college/university registrar:
         1. My name is _______. I am a graduate of _______ from _______, and I would like to get a copy of my diploma notarized with one declaration statement and one acknowledge statement. The context for this situation is that I am applying for a work visa in China, and as a part of this process I must obtain an official true copy of my diploma from the office of the registrar. The registrar should execute an affidavit attesting to the validity of the document before a notary public, with one declaration statement and one acknowledge statement. Would this be feasible? How would you handle this request, and what kind of fees should I expect to pay in order to cover the expenses?
      2. The notarized diploma must then be certified by the clerk of court from the county in which the notary is commissioned.
      3. The notarized diploma must then be authenticated by the Secretary of State by adding a cover statement with a designated seal, signature, and wording recognized by the Chinese consulate. Costs will vary by state. When you send it to the secretary of state, indicate that it should be Authenticated rather than Apostilled, as China does not recognize Apostille.
      4. This document must be authenticated by Chinese consulate or embassy. You can find helpful information about this at the website of the US Embassy in China.
   8. Health check from Beijing International Travel Healthcare Center (北京国际旅行卫生保健中心) (20 Hepingli North Road, Dongcheng District (6427 4239) 东城区和平里北街20号办理 ). Bring passport, ID photo (2 copies) and cash for the processing fee.
      1. The center is only open 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM
      2. The Physical Examination Report is valid for 6 months from the date issued
      3. Prepare before you go
         1. Your passport.
         2. Approx RMB 600 in cash.
         3. Your address in Chinese (if you want to have your results mailed to you).
         4. Two passport photos. There is a photo studio at the health check center if you don’t have time to get them before.
         5. An empty stomach. You cannot eat breakfast the day of your health check, as this will affect the blood test and stomach ultrasound results.
2. A Shang employee must register all of the above documents in the 外国人来华工作管理服务系统 online system.
3. Shang will provide the following materials to the visa agent
   1. Candidate's passport
   2. Candidate home address in foreign country
   3. Photo
   4. Proof of a non-criminal record from home country
   5. Resume showing at least 2 years of relevant work experience
   6. Diploma's from higher education
   7. Residence permit. In addition to a valid passport and visa, all prospective employees must obtain a Residency Permit within thirty days of their entry into China. One may not legally teach in China without both the Z visa and a valid Resident Permit. This is necessary whether one is classified as a “foreign teacher” or a “foreign expert.” Employers should provide assistance in obtaining this document.
4. Agent will submit the application for the work permit notice (工作许可通知). This will take about 10 business days.
5. Shang will submit hard copies of the documents to the agent, who will submit documents to the Exit and Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau 北京市公安局出入境管理处 (东城区安定门东大街2号).
   1. In most cases (but not all) the agent will inform us that the candidate needs to accompany the agent and do an interview at the Exit and Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau.

How to cancel a work permit when a foreign employee leaves our company

1. Fill in online form at 外国人来华工作管理服务系统 (http://fwp.safea.gov.cn/)
   1. ID: 911101050785691415
   2. Password: shang@hr
2. Fill out documents, upload to website
   1. 离职证明. Christine has a word document template that we can use. This form needs signature of the employee who is leaving. It also needs the company 公章.
   2. 外国人来华工作允许可注销申请表. After you fill out information on 外国人来华工作管理服务系统, the system will generate this form for you. You must print it and get the signature of the employee who is leaving. It also needs the company 公章.
3. Fill out document, bring to appointment
   1. 注销申请委托书. Christine has a word document template that we can use.
4. Make appointment with government 人力资源公共服务中心
5. Go to appointment
   1. 北京市朝阳区人力资源公共服务中心. You will want to go to the 3rd floor, window 21. You must take a number (挂号) and wait to be called.
   2. Submit documents (Work Permit Card, 离职证明, 外国人来华工作允许可注销申请表, 注销申请委托书). The person who submits these documents must bring their ID.
6. After 3-4 working days, go to 北京市朝阳区人力资源公共服务中心.
   1. You will want to go to the 3rd floor, window 24. You don't need to take a number (挂号), you can just go directly to window 24 and present the documents.
   2. In order to pick up the 外国人来华工作许可注销证明 you must bring your own ID, the Work Permit Card, and ????)

Note: to use the 公章 you must email Lei and CC Mary for approval. Please explain clearly in the email why you need it. After Lei approves the request via email, you can go to Mary with your documents, and Mary will stamp the documents for you.

How to renew a residence permit for a foreign employee according to Christine

1. Tell agent that we want to start this process (at least one month in advance, 6 weeks is recommended)
2. Give these documents to the agent:
   1. passport
   2. visa photo (white background, 2x2 inches)
   3. residence registration (住所登记)
   4. application form for renewal must be stamped with the company seal (公章)
   5. work permit card and a photocopy
   6. Proof of employment (在职证明, Christine has a format for this), must be stamped with the company seal (公章)
3. Wait about two weeks

How to renew a residence permit for a foreign employee according to Yan (杜小研)

所需材料

1. 外国人来华工作许可延期申请表：在线填写打印，申请人签字后，加盖用人单位公章或经单位授权部门公章上传至系统。原件（电子/纸质1份）。

2. 聘用合同或任职证明。应提供中文合同，应由申请人签名并加盖单位公章，不得涂改。原件\复印件（电子/纸质1份）。备注：聘用合同应包括工作地点、工作内容、薪酬、来华工作时间、职位、盖章页（签字）必要内容。任职证明适用执行政府间、国际组织间协议或协定人员、各类驻华代表处首席代表及代表及境外合同服务提供者（代表处需提供代表证原件）。

3. 申请人护照及有效工作类居留许可。护照（或国际旅行证件）首页及工作居留许可信息页。原件（电子/纸质1份）。

4. 《外国人工作许可证》。包括现行有效期内的《外国专家证》和《外国人就业证》。原件（电子/卡证1份）。

How To Change Your China Employer AND Keep Your Work Permit

This information is from the China Law Blog.

The most important factor in keeping your work permit is getting a letter of release from your current/old employer company. Technically, as long as the employee has not violated its contract, the employer company is required to provide this release letter. However, as you can imagine, people often have problems obtaining this letter when they don’t have a good relationship with the company they are leaving. I am not sure how it works, but it seems that there are ways that the company can strip you of your permit so you are left with 30 days to leave the country. Other sticky situations include companies that posses employee permits or even passports.

However, assuming there are no serious issues, the process seems relatively straightforward. I spoke with a few visa agents and they provided me with a list of documents that I needed to collect:

1. A release letter (离职证明) from your employer;
2. Transfer or cancel your employment permit; (外国人来华工作许可注销证明)
3. Your original diploma which should show a Bachelor degree or above;
4. A simple CV, preferably in Chinese;
5. A letter from your any of ex-employers certifying that you have more than two years working experience;
6. Passport and four 2 inch white background photos;
7. Residence Registration;
8. The business license of your prospective (new) employer and two copies with chop;
9. Application forms needs to be chopped

All of the visa agents assured me the whole process is usually very easy. I asked for quotes and one person said it would take around two and a half weeks and would cost RMB 2,500, which includes government fees, however much that may be.

How to cancel work permit and get the 外国人来华工作许可注销证明 for employees that leave our company

1. Ask agent to submit an online request of cancel John's work permit (工作许可)
2. Print out the resignation letter (离职证明, HR creates) and the online system's cancellation form. John must sign both of these, then these must be stamped with the 公章. As of February 2019, Mary keeps the 公章.
3. Shang Learning must submit PDFs of these two documents to the online system. We must wait 1-2 business days for approval.
4. After approval we can apply for an appointment to go to 北京市人力资源和社会保障局 (宣武区永内西街5号). A representative of the company must go with the agent. We must bring
   1. John's work permit card (工作许可)
   2. the cancellation form (注销表)
   3. the resignation letter (离职信)
   4. a proxy form (委托书，Christine has a format)
   5. representative of the company must also bring ID and a copy of ID