|
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila
recommends the following to Filipinos seeking work in China:
1. Sign a contract only if it is
written in a language that the applicant can understand.
2. Ensure that the prospective
employer is authorized to hire foreign workers. Those who tell
applicants to come to China initially as a tourist, suggests those
companies are not authorized to hire foreigners.
3. Secure a working or “Z”
visa from the Chinese Embassy in Manila or the Chinese Consulates
General in Cebu or Laoag before leaving the Philippines. If the
prospective employer is legitimate and is authorized to hire foreign
workers, the firm should already have coordinated with the
appropriate Chinese government office to enable the recruit to
receive a visa notification and a Work Permit for Aliens/Foreign
Expert’s License, which the worker needs to submit to the Chinese
embassy or consulate.
4. Register with the Public
Security Bureau in the Chinese locality within 24 hours of arrival
in China to secure a residence permit. Some landlords do not report
to the bureau that foreigners are staying in their apartments to
avoid paying higher taxes. This puts the foreigner at risk of being
fined if the bureau finds out.
5. Stay with the employer, school
or hotel that arranged the working “Z” visa. Should the worker
wish to transfer to another employer, he or she needs to inform the
Chinese Labor and Social Security Bureau or the Chinese Foreign
Experts Bureau. Not doing so puts the worker in a vulnerable
position with the Chinese authorities.
The Foreign Affairs department
discourages the following practices:
1. Do not accept a job offer that
is not signed by the prospective employer.
2. Do not agree to be a
housekeeper, maid or nanny in mainland China. They are not among the
positions open to foreigners there.
3. Do not believe
agents—whether they are Chinese or Filipino—who claim they can
send workers to China initially as a tourist, because they can
convert the “L” or “F” visa to a working visa. Chinese
officials can deport the job seeker without proper documents.
4. Do not get someone else to
secure a visa to Europe or the United States while in China. Only
permanent residents in China can apply for a visa at the European
and US embassies and consulates on the mainland. Thus, a person is
likely to get a fake US or European visa this way.
5. Do not entrust the passport to
anybody—not even the employer, agent or a so-called “friend.” 
|
