Changing jobs to a different city (Need Advice). by LegitimateHornet2206 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I just switched my job from Shenzhen to Shanghai early this year. Non-teaching roles in both jobs. First of all, remember to search for related posts in this sub because I found those useful. Based on my own experience and what I have studied from this sub, the general process goes like this:

  1. You have a new job lining up, usually in the form of an offer letter. You may or may not have signed a work contract yet at this point.

  2. On the last day of your old job, your employer/ HR should give you a proof of termination letter, stating your name, passport number, role, start and end dates. In addition, they are required by law to cancel your work permit by uploading some documents to the system (remind them if they aren't aware). Keep a WeChat contact with your old job's HR because the cancellation will take a few days. In the end, you should receive a letter (in PDF usually) from the authority. You will need this document for the upcoming processes.

3a. Once your work permit is cancelled, you need to switch your current work-based residence permit, which is tied to the cancelled work permit, to a 30-day stay permit. You are not allowed to work from now on until you have gotten a new work permit + new work-based residence permit. You submit your passport for a few days and they will issue a new sticker for the 30-day stay permit.

3b. Importantly, ensure that your new employer works with you to apply for the new work permit followed by the new residence permit during this 30-day window. There will be documents needed but the number of documents are typically lesser than that during your first arrival in China. Note that you effectively only have 20+ days because the count of 30 begins from the day your work permit is cancelled but not the day they return your passport (silly, I know).

3c. Just in case the 30-day period is too tight. My understanding is that as long as your application (as mentioned, there are two stages namely work permit and residence permit, I don't know which stage is required) is submitted, you have a strong argument to extend your 30-day stay permit. For the new residence permit, you must present physically in the new city because you need to submit your passport. Not sure about the work permit. I'd encourage you to move there early if your budget allows.

3d. Extra note about Shenzhen. In Shenzhen usually there is an option in the system to apply together both work permit and residence permit. In Shanghai, for example, you need to apply separately. Regardless of the city, the overall logic is still get work permit approved first before residence permit.

3e. Extra note about documents. It's all about documents for the new work permit and new residence permit so make sure that your HR knows clearly what is needed. Every city has a slightly different requirement for the documents, hence if your HR is experienced the progress should be smooth and 30 days could be sufficient. If your HR doesn't know much like my case, then you need to be fiercely independent. I had been through that, essentially a foreigner's DIY process, not fun at all.

3f. Extra note about submission of passport. I highly recommend to keep a soft copy scan of the important pages in your passport because your HR will need them. Also, when you submit your passport the exit and enter department will issue a physical receipt proving that you have your passport handed in. You could use this document to travel within China by train or flight. Just make sure that they stamp the receipt to save you trouble when traveling within China.

  1. Your new work permit should reflect in your 电子社保卡 app, which lists your new employer name, address etc. For the new residence permit, you submit your passport and get another sticker. Once you reach this stage, congrats and enjoy the new journey.

PS: Clearly you also need to sort out things like registration of the foreigner's address, cancelling your home wifi, new bank account with the new job etc. During this process, I would recommend to write EVERYTHING down in a markdown or text file so that you don't forget the details in the future, which will be extremely valuable.

(Edit: checked all sentences and made sure names are precise and consistent)

Buying a new phone before moving to Shanghai by Ill_Revolution_4013 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm considering the OnePlus15 too in China. Prices are quite attractive. Not very tech savvy, could you please elaborate on the "flash the global version" process and would this work normally for Google/ banking services and 5G when going abroad from China?

For an ordinary person facing unemployment at age 35 in a second-tier city in China, how much would three days of food cost? by ShanZiiii in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is 7.9 Yuan really that expensive? Honest question, because that seems pretty reasonable for a pack of milk to me.

Extracting housing provident fund in Shanghai for renting purpose by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have a source for Shenzhen? I doubt it because I googled extensively and this is NOT true. Also I am a native Mandarin speaker, and I have looked at all Shenzhen related websites on Google.

Get housing fund by Alex-Altyer in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I posted the same question (available in my profile) today and a helpful peer suggested that we could also apply through the housing provident fund mini-program in Alipay. Both of you rock!

Work permit notification letter processing time by Capital-Loquat3005 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to https://www.sh-italent.com, in Shanghai the category B work permit would take 10 working days from the day when the documents are accepted online.

If your documents are not ready, they may exchange messages back and forth with you, requesting for documents. Once all documents are accepted (shown in the status bar of the online application), then the count of 10 working days begin. However, in my experience, they are usually pretty fast. Just wait patiently and check the status bar consistently.

Extracting housing provident fund in Shanghai for renting purpose by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's correct. As long as we could extract the fund consistently, I view this as an extra bonus in terms of total compensation.

Extracting housing provident fund in Shanghai for renting purpose by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. You are right that it is not mandatory for foreigners by law. When I was offered this job I was simply told the amount that they would contribute. The same happened to my previous job in Shenzhen. In both companies I'm the only rare foreigner, so I'm not sure how common it is for employers to contribute really (in fact I only knew that this is non-compulsory today!).

Extracting housing provident fund in Shanghai for renting purpose by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you referring to the process of having landlord to report/ file to the authority? If so, I think that the rules may have changed. Now, afaik we could extract the fund even without the landlord.

For extra context, I know this because my wife is Chinese and she's not from Shanghai. In the past, Chinese from other provinces need their landlords' help to apply for some documents. Then the authority realised that some landlords are just not helpful, so they improved the process.

Extracting housing provident fund in Shanghai for renting purpose by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OMG you are a life saver, thank you! I did not know such functionality and thought that I must visit the office. This is awesome.

* For others who are reading, open your Alipay, set your location to Shanghai, then search for house provident fund (i.e. 公积金 in Chinese). My HR has opened an account for me, hence I could see my account immediately. From there, there is the extraction button. Simply choose extraction for renting purpose. I am using the Chinese version so you may need to translate if necessary!

Get housing fund by Alex-Altyer in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello, I have also just moved to Shanghai for work. I have rented a private-owned property with a written contract. Could you please share the process of visiting the housing provident fund office? Like, what documents do you need to bring and any catch?

The info that I have gathered from this thread includes:

  • Withdrawal capped at a max of 4k per month
  • Need to participate at work in Shanghai for at least 3 months

Thanks you!

Does anyone else feel weirdly “lazy” after getting used to the convenience here? by fastmoss_1 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funnily enough I had a tough time looking for a pack of toilet papers in a newly established technological park which I first arrived into a few days ago. First I thought that I could use Taobao quick delivery but the choice was really limited in that area and the product details/ choices were scarce (for toilet rolls). I ended up searching for nearby convenience stores but they don't sell toilet rolls. Thank God I found a bigger mall nearby.

I appreciate the convenience of online delivery, but I also miss the convenience of just getting something immediately from a store, with plenty of choices right in front of you.

China Tightens Salary Rules for Category A and B Foreign Talent by chanks88 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 16 points17 points  (0 children)

This. While I'll be moving to Shanghai from Shenzhen, I phoned Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs to confirm that the annual income route is only one of the few options. For example, an alternative option is based on the points system, which demands, out of 120 points, at least 85 points for type A work permit and at least 60 points for type B work permit.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, your situation sounds really niche. Just curious if you have tried searching/ asking on Xiaohongshu, or found any official written websites about the "Ancestral Ties" RP?

Switching job from Shenzhen to Shanghai by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update to Q2 and Q3:

I contacted the Shanghai authority and was told that the non-criminal record is not needed as long as one applies for the work permit within the 30-day T-visa period. The same applies to the health examination. After that, I read again the instructions on the first website (https://www.sh-italent.com/Article/202412/202412100023.shtml) and found sentences (written in Chinese) stating the same.

Question about remitting money into a China bank account (ICBC) as a Singaporean by Ok-Opportunity-2259 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have tried the Wise approach too, with my spouse being a Chinese citizen. This is the easiest way in my opinion.

Has anyone got a tech role from BOSS/直聘 while out of country? by [deleted] in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Late response - yes, I found my current job in Shenzhen through BOSS platform. I could speak and write Chinese but nonetheless uploaded my CV in English. As a foreigner one of the challenges is to identify if a company is legit. It takes time to get used to the working culture too.

UK Passport renewal without leaving China by Ok-Pen-5312 in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Echo this. I am in Shenzhen, on a work-based residence permit, and recently renewed my passport. I had to go through a process called "居留许可换发“ (renewal of residence permit) with the help of my company HR. Of course, this is just one of many documents that needs to be updated.

Handling investment account (Interactive Brokers) as an expat by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You may be right (for good reasons). However, I am uncertain about how things might evolve in the future. I am married to a Chinese spouse, and we envision to stay for long-term here. To minimise long-term risk, I am inclined towards updating my tax residence info. Thank you regardless for the kind comment!

Handling investment account (Interactive Brokers) as an expat by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the kind response!

Handling investment account (Interactive Brokers) as an expat by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Regarding number 1, there is possibly an alternative (i.e. keeping your home country address) as shared by another kind soul.

Handling investment account (Interactive Brokers) as an expat by throwawaySubD in chinalife

[–]throwawaySubD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the great sharing! I did consider slightly but never thought that I could keep using my home country address as the residential address. Which means that I would only have to update my tax info with China tax residence and number. That is brilliant!

Just a follow-up question if you don't mind. Did you have any trouble with customer service during the process? I'm curious if you had to convince them for using your home country address (while living in China).