Happier Abroad Forum Community

I guess I can start off by introducing myself here (Hello )and giving a shout out to Winston and other forum members who have successfully made the leap to other countries in search of love, happiness and or a better life for yourselves. I can't help but respect and admire that.

Now, I've been kinda sitting on the fence for a while and have done a little research here and there but I've been looking into the possibility of making a living oversees as an ESL teacher, namely China. The only trouble tho is that it seems like it may be a temporary solution seeing as obtaining a resident visa is very hard to impossible. I've been lurking some other expat boards and seeing that even if you marry a Chinese citizen for example theres still no guarantee you can get a permanent visa. I've read tho that it IS possible if you're married for 5 years and have a steady job at a reputable business.

So I guess my question is how are some of you guys managing; what kind of visas do you have and do you know that you'll be able to obtain a more permanent visa when the time comes?

ps. apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I wasnt sure which was the most appropriate for this topic.

This should have been posted in the Immigration/Visas section. I'll move it there.

Lost Soul wrote:I guess I can start off by introducing myself here (Hello )and giving a shout out to Winston and other forum members who have successfully made the leap to other countries in search of love, happiness and or a better life for yourselves. I can't help but respect and admire that.

Now, I've been kinda sitting on the fence for a while and have done a little research here and there but I've been looking into the possibility of making a living oversees as an ESL teacher, namely China. The only trouble tho is that it seems like it may be a temporary solution seeing as obtaining a resident visa is very hard to impossible. I've been lurking some other expat boards and seeing that even if you marry a Chinese citizen for example theres still no guarantee you can get a permanent visa. I've read tho that it IS possible if you're married for 5 years and have a steady job at a reputable business.

So I guess my question is how are some of you guys managing; what kind of visas do you have and do you know that you'll be able to obtain a more permanent visa when the time comes?

ps. apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I wasnt sure which was the most appropriate for this topic.

Obtaining citizenship as a foreigner in most countries of the world is difficult and requires many years. The easiest places I can think of are Israel (for Jews or perhaps converts), DR, Dominica (a few months and US$75 K), and a few other countries including Singapore for people with big money to spend or invest.

In Asia, you could naturalize in Taiwan after 5 years of local documented and legal work if u were willing to renounce your US citizenship. Then as a Taiwanese (I assume the mainland would recognize u as such) it would be easy for u to get a long term permit to remain in the PRC as a permanent resident.

If you work in Hong Kong and you have a work visa there, you get a temporary resident card which needs to be renewed at certain times. After living in Hong Kong for about 7.5 years, you can apply for permanent residency which gives you the right of abode (the right to just come into HK anytime you want and live). The good thing about this is that you don't have to give up your citizenship in your native country, which is important for some people. Once you get permanent residency, you just have to show up in Hong Kong once every 3 years to maintain your permanent resident status. I've already done this and it's a pretty simple process (not even an interview, just filing paperwork). This is not available for all people working in Hong Kong like domestic helpers from other countries but as an ESL teacher, I think you would qualify to apply. Check with the Hong Kong immigration department web site for all the rules and regulations.

Rock,
So what's the best way then? To get a work visa, a residency visa upon marriage, or a tourist visa that you renew periodically?

Winston wrote:Rock,
So what's the best way then? To get a work visa, a residency visa upon marriage, or a tourist visa that you renew periodically?

I'm no expert on this I just know the case in Taiwan form personal experience where I have already have PR status and have considered naturalizing and becoming a Taiwan citizen (I am currently eligible in every way if I wanna renounce US citizenship).

PR status is nice. But unlike citizenship, it can always be taken away from u. For example, a US green card holder can get deported and black listed for being convicted of relatively minor crimes. I knew of a Canadian (just on tourist visa though) who got caught pissing in bushes by police and he ended up getting arrested and banned (further visas not approved).

I think the most practical solution in the short term is just to do what other English teachers in China do whatever that is. If they are working on tourist visas, u can probably do the same. Leaving the country every few months on a visa run and for a break in a nearby place such as SE Asia is not a bad thing. Once u live there for awhile, u will figure out whether or not its a place u really wanna stay long term. Then u can research on the ground ways to get more permanent types of visas there.

Lost Soul wrote:I guess I can start off by introducing myself here (Hello )and giving a shout out to Winston and other forum members who have successfully made the leap to other countries in search of love, happiness and or a better life for yourselves. I can't help but respect and admire that.

Now, I've been kinda sitting on the fence for a while and have done a little research here and there but I've been looking into the possibility of making a living oversees as an ESL teacher, namely China. The only trouble tho is that it seems like it may be a temporary solution seeing as obtaining a resident visa is very hard to impossible. I've been lurking some other expat boards and seeing that even if you marry a Chinese citizen for example theres still no guarantee you can get a permanent visa. I've read tho that it IS possible if you're married for 5 years and have a steady job at a reputable business.

So I guess my question is how are some of you guys managing; what kind of visas do you have and do you know that you'll be able to obtain a more permanent visa when the time comes?

ps. apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I wasnt sure which was the most appropriate for this topic.

http://www.china.org.cn/english/Livingi ... 180481.htm

^ thats perfect. thanks!

If its obtaining PR and/or citizenship in china, I know first hand that its very difficult to impossible.

Ill start by saying that getting a PR in China is very difficult. Even marrying a chinese person or having kids born in China isn't a automatic guarantee of citizenship. There isn't a jus solis law as other countries would have.

Citizenship? I'd rather not laugh but its literally almost impossible. Besides it doesn't carry many or any benefits at all other then to get immigration off your back. Ladislav would even agree to that.

Plus china has already too many people so there be a reason why its hard.

Of course if they insist, they'd need to have tons of money (over millions) or they'd have to have made some extraordinary contribution that benefited chinese society to get even a PR or citizenship.

Otherwise the best way to live there long term would be by work permit or keep on renewing your visa annually least to say.

You can get PR in Thailand in 3 years.

You can get PR in Thailand in 3 years.

In Cambodia it is difficult to obtain citizenship, but you can get perpetual multiple entry visas forever unless they kick you out for some reason.

Getting a PR in thailand definitely isn't a bad idea. Least you could keep that 1st world citizenship and not have to renounce it.

For cambodia, I wonder why anyone would want to get citizenship in there anyway. Whats the benefit or what does it offer?

ph wrote:For cambodia, I wonder why anyone would want to get citizenship in there anyway. Whats the benefit or what does it offer?

Sweet feminine traditional females. When I was there, cheap sex. But otherwise, it admittedly does suck.

ph wrote:Getting a PR in thailand definitely isn't a bad idea. Least you could keep that 1st world citizenship and not have to renounce it.

For cambodia, I wonder why anyone would want to get citizenship in there anyway. Whats the benefit or what does it offer?

An alternative citizenship from anywhere is valuable for a USA citizen because it effectively severs the cord USA has attached to your ass.

If u reside abroad and your USA Passport is your sole travel document, the USA can call your ass in anytime it likes simply by cancelling that passport. But if you have a second passport, you can default to it if SHTF. If you are lucky, you can establish residency in your country of choice using that alternative passport. But even if you use your USA passport as basis of your third country residency, if USA cancels it, I believe u could at least opt to travel to the country of your second citizenship instead of being deported to USA.

Long term residency status or permanent residency status in a foreign country is worthless for this type of scenario. You need a full citizenship and passport to alternative country to get such a protection.