English teachers in China are now finding themselves in the government’s crosshairs.

CCTV went undercover to investigate a language school in Harbin, Heilongjiang and found many schools hired teachers who didn’t have proper teaching or employment certificates. This is obvious to many of us who live and Cracwork in China, and has been going on for years. But the new attention from state media indicates a crackdown may be coming.

The TV report said all foreign teachers must apply for a Foreign Expert Certificate from the Bureau of Foreigner Expert Affairs from their school, and a work visa provided by the local PSB in order to be permitted to work in China.

The crackdown on illegal English teachers is nothing new. Last August, “several” teachers at English training schools in Nanshan District, Shenzhen were arrested for working illegally. And yet, more teachers continue to stream in to meet the high demand for language learning. Just one month after the previous raid, the local Shenzhen government revealed an initiative to hire 175 English teachers for placement in 125 public schools.

Still, here’s some good advice: no matter what your school says, make sure you are properly certified.

Here’s the CCTV report:

For more on new labor laws enacted last year, here’s a link.

[h/t Lost Laowai]

Photo: screenshots from Youtube

Sorry, Danny Ocean with Chinese characteristics: the gig is up.

Macau has just announced changes to its entry requirements to deter mainland high-rollers from coming to the territory. Starting on July 1, mainland visitors holding a Chinese passport in transit will only be allowed to stay a maximum of five days, down from an original seven, according to Bloomberg.

READ: Guangdong Residents Can Now Visit
Hong Kong and Macau with Their Fingerprints

However, some critics of the plan point out that the change won’t actually succeed at what it’s supposed to accomplish. Jose Pereira Coutinho, a directly elected legislator in the 33-member Legislative Assembly, said, ”It won’t help resolve the existing problem for some mainland visitors to travel to Macau without traveling to another destination.” In other words, they can still get a lot of gambling done in the new five-day period.

The last time Macau made changes to its entry requirements was in 2008 when it shortened the maximum stay from 14 days to seven. As well, mainland tourists that re-enter Macau within 30 days of their previous stay will only be allowed to stay one day, down from two days.

Additionally, China UnionPay has promised to clamp down on illegal payments made with handheld devices in Macau gambling establishments, an amount analysts say was worth billions last year.

Related:

• Macau Buckles Under the Weight of Mainland Tourists, Considering Limiting Visitors
• New 24-Hour Border Crossing Between Zhuhai and Macau Proposed

Photo: deltabridges

Which is it? As if to save us from ourselves, Chinese authorities may have provided the answer in the form of a question: Why don’t you stay, all of you? In fact, China is now considering making it easier than ever for expats to obtain the vaunted Chinese “green card”.

On Monday, the Organizational Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stated they have drafted regulations on permanent residence for foreigners and will consider more flexible and pragmatic application standards, reported China Daily.

READ: New Visa Policies for Foreigners Now in Effect—
What You Need to Know

Excelsior! This may be the answer to all your problems if a trip to the border via the “Hong Kong midnight run” is a monthly routine for you. A Chinese green card, otherwise known as a “permanent residence card”, will give foreigners the right to reside in China indefinitely. A green card holder will be able to enter and exit China with only a passport and the green card itself without ever needing to apply for a visa ever again.

First introduced in 2004, the granting of the “Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of Alien in China” was intended to attract “high-level foreigners” to invest in Chinese businesses and attract skilled professionals, and may again seek to attract more foreign talent with easing these restrictions.

And now this is easier than ever to obtain? How come there aren’t more of these handy cards around? Whom do I have to marry?

RELATED: Guangdong Residents Can Now Visit Hong Kong and
Macau With Their Fingerprints

Well, you may not have heard of the rarefied Chinese green card because next to nobody has it. Of the 633,000 foreigners living in China in 2012, only 1202 foreigners were awarded a permanent residence card—only 0.19% of the expat population.

But hey, the other 99.8% of the population now stand to have a better chance to enjoy a visa-free stay in China. All you have to do is satisfy one of the following conditions from last year which are now undergoing reforms:

• you are a businessperson who has invested at least USD 500,000 in the country
• you are a high-level foreign expert holding a post which promotes China’s economy, scientific and technological development or social progress with skills “needed by the State”
• you have made an outstanding contribution of special importance to China
• you are married to a Chinese national

READ: New Visa Laws to Make Life Harder for Illegal Expats,
Easier for Highly-Skilled Ones

The application form is probably provided with check-boxes to make filling it out also easier than ever, just in case you qualify for two or more of these categories.

Once you submit your application, the Public Security Bureau will process it, requiring you to wait a period of six months (or approximately 120 business days, if that makes more sense to you).

A permanent resident status card is valid for a period of five or ten years, but may be instantly revoked if you are in violation of any of the following:

• You are deemed likely to cause harm to national security or interests;
• You are ordered by the people’s court to be expelled from the country;
• You have obtained permanent residence through falsified materials or other illegal methods;
• Your accumulated stay in a year is less than three months, or your accumulated stay in a period of five years in China is less than one year, without permission

READ: In Praise Of… Being a China Expat

Congratulations! You now have the same rights as a citizen of the People’s Republic of China.

Now, the disagreement whether Western expats are leaving or arriving can end because we’ve made it, all of us: we’re being accepted into the fold of Chinese society. As the China Daily headline reads:

Green card application threshold to be lowered

Finally: “lowered expectations” are coming to the rest of the 99.8 percent of the expat community. The back-packing English teacher may soon yet be permanently residing next door to a CEO captain of industry in short time.

Related:

• Cops arrest undocumented English teachers in Shenzhen
• Guangzhou Crackdown on Foreign Models Without Proper Visas 
• Guangzhou set to launch 72-hour visa-free stays this week
• Hong Kong May Restrict Mainland Visitors by 20%

Photo: Sohu

One of the foreigners suspected of working illegally. (Shenzhen Daily)

The Shenzhen Daily is reporting today that “several” foreigners were arrested at English-training schools in Nanshan District, home of Shekou and a large population of foreign residents. The arrested teachers were apparently “taken away” by the PSB’s Nanshan District Sub-bureau for “illegal employment”:

The bureau did not reveal how many foreigners had been arrested or give further details as investigations into the cases are still continuing.

At present, there are about 13,000 foreign residents living in Nanshan District, accounting for 42 percent of the expatriate population in the city.

According to the Shenzhen Administration of Foreign Experts, about 11,000 foreigners with valid work permits were employed in Shenzhen last year, accounting for about 60 percent of the city’s foreign-worker population.

As always, the city is reminding foreigners they must hold valid teaching certificates and proper work visas to be employed in Shenzhen. No word on what kind of punishment these teachers may be in for.

China is starting to take the issue of visas and work permits a little more seriously after some convicted criminals from overseas have found their way into teaching positions at Chinese schools.