To come to China, teachers need to have a Chinese Work Visa (Z Visa).

Once an applicant receives an Offer Letter from Sias, they will be asked to provide about 10 documents to Sias (by email). Some of these can take a fair amount of work, involve several steps, and may take a couple of months to obtain. Some of the foreign teachers that Sias hires have never been overseas, and some have possibly never had to deal with the level of bureaucracy required to get the documentation for the Z Visa. For this reason, the Office of International Affairs (OIA) at Sias will provide as much support as possible.

Once these documents are obtained, they should be sent to Sias via email. They are used to get an Invitation Letter, which is a document from China’s Foreign Expert’s Bureau (FEB) that promises a Residence Permit soon after the teacher arrives in China. This letter, along with the applicant’s passport and other relevant documents, is submitted to the Chinese embassy or consulate closest to them as part of the visa application.

Since the Covid-19 Pandemic began, Chinese embassies and consulates have asked for these documents (for the visa application) to be scanned first and sent by email. After the embassy or consulate approves the application, the teacher is informed that they can mail their application, passport, and documentation (including the Invitation Letter) to them. The applicant will receive a Z Visa within 1-2 weeks. This visa authorizes them to work in China for their sponsoring company (in this case, Sias University).

Once a teacher arrives at Sias, they will have their Z Visa upgraded to a Residence Permit, which allows the teacher to work for the contracted academic year.

Sias’ Office of International Affairs will also guide teachers with getting the Dependent Visa (S1 Visa) if they have dependents accompanying them.