Expat Community > China

sap198
Joined 2002
Posts: 11

Help!!! My Visa is expiring in 8 days...

21 years ago

... and I have no full-time job to help me with the renewal/extension process....

See, I just lost my job at an education investment startup company 2 weeks ago (Feb. 17) -- I was laid off due to a severely light workload and language difficulties (it was a Chinese company that had been around only since Oct. 2001). And this was very sudden, not my fault i.e. not due to poor performance/politics, and I'm now in this situation, so as you can imagine, I'm under a lot of stress right now because I don't want to have to leave here (been here only 1.5 years and would like to be here in Beijing, China, for 1 or 2 more years). I have been able to find a part-time job but it won't be able to help me with this visa stuff until 6 months later, if and when I become full-time (a part-time teaching job at a language school). And my visa expires March 11 -- 8 days from now! I called many visa companies and some don't do Z visas (the kind I have), and some can convert Z to F visa (Business), and in some cases, you have to go to Hong Kong to get the Z changed into an L or tourist visa - valid for one month, and then go back to them to get a 3-month/6-month extension. But I'm worried about the cost because money is tight right now (although I do get paid by the company for two more months, and my next paycheque comes in on the 5th i.e. 6,800 RMB after tax approx., 7000 RMB before tax)... And I'm not sure how easy and inexpensive going to HK would be -- i have to do this before the 11th!!! Please advise ASAP -- I'm really running out of time and would appreciate a prompt response either here or to my e-mail address (please see end of message). Thanks in advance,

Sapna

[email protected]

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