I have spent about 3 years teaching in China and have had to return to America twice to apply for a new visa. Most recently I left China in August of 2017. The requirements have become more strict in the last year so I left to complete a basic degree from Excelsior college after my last visa expired. A few weeks ago I finally received my diploma and began the process of obtaining a new work visa to China. As the requirements have increased so has the complexity of the visa process. During this process I have received a lot of bad information which has prolonged the process. It used to be you just had to send copies of your documents to China but now it is no longer this easy. So, I am writing this article to detail the specific steps needed to get a visa if you are in America and want to teach English in China.
First of all, to legally teach in China you must have an accredited 4 year degree but it can be in any discipline. I believe that other requirements vary depending on the province you are going to work at, but generally you must also have either two years of teaching experience or a degree in English or Education, or a Tefl/Tesol. You must also be able to get a clean background check as well as a physical.
The degree and background check must now be authenticated at the China Embassy in your home country. However, before this can be done, you must first get it authenticated at the department of state. Before this is done, you must get it authenticated at the secretary of state AND before that is done you must get the degree notarized!
So here is what to do step by step.
Make a copy of your diploma at kinkos of fedex. You want to do this because during the process of getting it notarized and authenticated at the various offices will result in the document being stamped, stapled and manhandled. When you get a copy I recommend having it done on cardstock material to prevent the chance of it being damaged during the process. And don’t worry about not using the original. A copy will be acceptable by every office you need to go to.
Get the diploma copy notarized. You can usually get this done for free at your bank. If your bank does not have a notary or you don’t have a bank account (but you should definitely set up a bank account in the U.S. before departing) you can go to almost any bank and get it done. The banks in Washington D.C. usually charge $5 per document.
Get a background check. The last two times (including this current time) I did this at the court house. The first time I did it at the police department. My agent in China told me it has to be done with the FBI but I did not do this and the embassy accepted the one I did. If you don’t get it done by the FBI you must do the FL-20 background check. FL-20 checks are specifically for outside the U.S. In Washington D.C. I believe they cost $7 but I got mine for free by getting a letter from the VA.
The background check apparently does not need to be notarized. Also, if you do get the FBI check you don’t need to get it authenticated at the secretary of state but you will need to get it authenticated at the Department of State.Take the notarized diploma copy and FL-20 to the Secretary of State’s office. In Washington they close at 1 pm and it costs $15 for each document. They will attach a seal to each document.
Now, take these two documents to the Department of State. You will probably have to do this the next day because if they are all like the one in Washington they are only open from 8 am to 9 am. It will cost $8 for each document and will take 3 business days to authenticate. You pay when you pick them up. You can pay by credit card but if you pay by cash they do not give change so it must be the exact amount.
After you pick up the documents get copies made of the authenticated documents with all the seals and stamps and your passport, which must be valid for at least one year.
Go here http://linkshrink.net/7ORfMo , and download the G1 form. Fill it out on your computer in CAPITAL letters then print it out.
Now, you are finally ready to go the China Embassy. Take the completed G1 form and authenticated documents with you. You will probably have to wait several hours. If you get there after 9:30 am you will probably have time to leave at noon and eat lunch.
Again, it will take 3 business days for the documents to be authenticated and the cost as of the publishing of this article is $20 per document.Get a physical. If you are a veteran you can do this for free at the VA. If not, maybe you can get one at a local free clinic.
Now we are at the point where the process gets a little more simplified from what it used to be. According to my agent, you no longer need to mail the documents to China. Instead, you just have to scan them and email them to your agent or school. The school will then apply for your work permit. This should take about 2 weeks. Then they will send you a scan of the work permit, which you then print out.
Fill out a visa application and take it to the China Embassy to receive your visa.
Book your flight!