Insights · China Work Visa
China Work Visa and Work Permit
Practical, source-checked guides to the Z visa, the Foreign Work Permit, Class A/B/C eligibility, employer changes, and renewals in China. Every guide is checked against the current national work-permit system, the 2017 classification standard, and the local filing guides that apply the rules in practice.
The rules at a glance
- Entry visa
- Z visa, issued abroad after the employer obtains a Foreign Work Permit Notification
- Status inside China
- Work-type residence permit, applied for within 30 days of entry
- Category A salary channel
- At least 6× the local average monthly wage
- Category B salary channel
- At least 4× the local average monthly wage
- Points channels
- A: 85 points or more · B: 60 points or more
- Renewal window
- Up to 120 days before expiry (expanded in 2026)
Salary figures are set by city and updated annually. The 6× and 4× multipliers are national; the wage base differs by locality.
Guides in this cluster
China Work Visa for Teachers: Requirements and Rejection Risks
Teaching is a major category of foreign employment in China, and its work-permit files are often refused for document mismatches rather than for a lack of teaching ability. The usual fault line runs between the job description, the degree, the teaching certificate, and the employer's registration — four documents that must tell the same story.
China Work Permit Classes A, B and C Explained
China does not have one work permit. It has three classes, and the class determines the documents, the processing speed, the permitted duration, and whether the applicant can work past 60. Class is not a prestige label; it is the legal route the file travels through, and choosing the wrong one is a common reason for refusal.
China Work Permit Denied: Causes and What to Do Next
A refusal is rarely a verdict on the candidate. It is usually one document that does not match the rule the file was filed under. The first step is to identify which stage refused the file, because a work-permit refusal and a Z visa refusal have different remedies and different clocks.
Changing Employers in China Without Leaving the Country
A job change in China is not a transfer of an existing permit. The old permit is canceled, a new one is issued to the new employer, and the residence permit follows. Done in the right order, most professionals can change jobs without leaving China. Done in the wrong order, the gap becomes illegal employment.
China Work Visa for New Graduates: Can You Qualify Without Experience?
The standard China work permit asks for a bachelor's degree plus two years of experience. A new graduate has the degree but not the years. There are three lawful ways around that gap in 2026: the C-class graduate quota, a local master's or doctoral waiver, or a B-class points assessment. Each has a different eligibility test and a different risk of running out of quota.
China Work Visa Requirements: The 2026 Document Checklist
Most China work-visa delays are not caused by the embassy. They start earlier, in the employer's work-permit notification, where one unauthenticated degree or an expired police certificate can reset the clock by a month. This checklist separates the three filing stages so you can see what is needed, who provides it, and how long each document stays valid.
How Long Does a China Work Visa Take? The 2026 Timeline
Plan for two to four months from first document to residence permit. The filing itself is not the long part; authentication, appointment availability, and one missing certificate are. This is the timeline employers and candidates should put in the offer letter, with the statutory limits and the realistic buffers separated.
Z Visa vs Work Permit: What Each China Document Actually Authorizes
A Z visa is an entry visa. A work permit is an authorization to work. A work-type residence permit is the status that lets you stay. Confusing the three is the most expensive mistake in China employment compliance, because the window between them is where illegal work begins.