The short answer
There are two routes, and they are often confused.
During study, a foreign student can do an off-campus internship or work-study only with the school’s consent and an annotation on the study residence permit that records the location and period. That annotation is a limited permission, not a work permit.
After graduation, the student needs a work permit, and the employer is the applicant. In many cities the student can apply in-country while the study residence permit is still valid, changing the permit type without leaving China. In others, the student must leave and apply for a Z visa. The local rule decides.
The binding constraint in both routes is time. Student residence permits are tied to the programme, and the gap between “student” and “employee” is where applications fail.
X1 and X2: what the study status allows
The X1 visa is issued for study of more than 180 days. The holder must apply for a study residence permit within 30 days of entry, and that permit is the document that carries the internship annotation.
The X2 visa covers courses of up to 180 days. It does not lead to a residence permit, and it carries no work right at all. A short-course student who wants to stay and work has to leave and start the work route from outside, or qualify for a different status.
Neither visa authorises employment. The study residence permit allows study, and the annotation allows a defined internship — nothing more.
Internships and part-time work during study
The rule is set out in Article 22 of the State Council’s entry-exit regulations: a foreign national holding a study residence permit who needs to do off-campus work-study or an internship must obtain the school’s consent, then apply to the exit-entry administration for an annotation recording the work-study or internship location and period. Without that annotation, off-campus work-study and internships are not permitted.
Three practical consequences:
- A stay permit cannot be annotated. The annotation attaches to a study residence permit or, in limited cases, a private-affairs visa. Students on a stay permit have to change status first.
- The annotation is specific. It records a location and a period; a different employer or a longer period needs a new annotation.
- The school is the gatekeeper. Without the university’s consent letter, the exit-entry administration will not annotate.
Some free-trade-zone and regional policies add a route for foreign students invited by registered enterprises to enter on a short-term private-affairs visa annotated “internship”. These are local policies, not a national work permit, and the enterprise usually has to be registered with the local authority first.
After graduation: the work-permit route
The graduate route is the standard work permit, with the employer as applicant:
- The employer registers the position and the candidate on the work-permit system.
- The candidate’s degree, transcripts, graduation certificate, police clearance and medical check are prepared.
- The employer files the Foreign Work Permit Notification.
- The candidate either applies for a Z visa abroad or, where the city allows it, files in-country on the valid study residence permit.
- After approval, the work permit is issued and the residence permit is changed to a work-type residence permit.
- The employee is registered for social insurance and payroll withholding.
The in-country step is the part that varies. Some cities accept a change from a study residence permit to a work residence permit; others treat the study permit as expiring with the programme and require a Z visa. The employer’s HR team usually knows which rule applies locally, but the answer should be confirmed before the final semester.
The graduate exemption from the experience requirement
Category B normally expects a bachelor’s degree plus two years of relevant experience after graduation. A fresh graduate does not have that, which is why many cities operate an exception for outstanding foreign graduates.
The exception is usually built around the degree: a master’s degree or above from a Chinese university, or a strong degree from a top-ranked university, plus a job offer in a relevant field. Some cities add a points test, an age limit or a salary floor. The employer files under the graduate route and the local bureau decides whether the candidate qualifies.
The exemption is not a general “any graduate can work” rule. A candidate who does not fit it either gains experience outside China first or is hired under a category that does not require it.
Filing in China or leaving for a Z visa
The choice is between an in-country conversion and the standard Z visa route:
| Item | In-country conversion | Z visa abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | City-specific; requires a valid study residence permit | Standard national route |
| Travel | None | Exit and re-entry |
| Timing | Must file before the student permit expires | Notification first, then visa, then entry |
| Risk | Local rule may not accept the change | Gap between graduation and visa appointment |
| Best for | Graduates already in China with a confirmed employer | Graduates outside China, or cities that require the Z route |
The in-country route is faster and avoids a trip, but it is not available everywhere and it depends on the student permit remaining valid while the application is processed. The Z route is slower but predictable.
Timing traps and a checklist
- The student residence permit is shortened at graduation. Universities report completion, and the permit may be valid only for a short window afterwards. Do not assume it runs to the printed end date.
- The employer must be ready before the permit expires. A job offer in principle is not a filing.
- The medical check and police certificate have validity windows. A police certificate older than the window is refused.
- Working before the permit is issued is unauthorised, including a paid internship that is really a probation period.
- The degree must be authenticated. Apostille or consular legalisation plus a Chinese translation is the baseline.
A realistic checklist for the final semester: confirm the local conversion rule, secure the employer and the offer letter, start the degree authentication and police certificate, book the medical check, and file the notification at least three months before the student permit expires. If the timing cannot work, plan the Z visa route rather than gambling on an extension.
The work permit service covers the employer filing, the work visa requirements guide lists the documents, and the S1/S2 guide covers family members who will join after the conversion. To test a graduate case against the local rule, contact an advisor.