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live in Shenzhen work in Hong Kong

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  1. #1

    live in Shenzhen work in Hong Kong

    There has been some discussion on this topic before, but my case is slightly different。

    My boyfriend is mainland chinese and cannot cross into Hong Kong to live with me. It is rather hard for him to find a job in HK. So, in case he cannot move to HK, I am willing to move to Shenzhen to live with him.

    Will I be able to live in Shenzhen without a work visa in China? I will be studying part-time at nights in Shatin. I am a native english speaker, so i was going to find work as an english teacher. I plan on living in Luohu (mainland side) close to the border and working in the Northern new territories to cut down on travel time, and because i have school at night in Shatin.

    So, is it possible to live in Shenzhen without a chinese work permit, only a HK one? Will having a work visa allow me to get a hkid (not permanent id) so that it will cut down on the border crossing time?

    Plus, I hear a lot of rumours from different people. Is Luohu a relatively safe place? I am a native English speaker from the US, but am ABC and can speak fluent canto, so I look like a HK-er. Are there any buses that go to Luohu border late at night - like a minibus that runs late at night leaving from the big stations like Causeway Bay, TST, Admiralty - in case i party late :P


  2. #2

    Join Date
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    The boundary crossing at Luohu is a rail only crossing which closes at 12:00am. No night buses, however there is a 24 hour crossing at HuangGang/Lok Ma Chau which has some nice housing estates in the area and also has Futian port which serves Lok Ma Chau station (which runs until 10:30 pm) it may be better to look in that area. (Although a taxi from Futian port to Luohu would still be quite cheap)

    An added benefit with these two boundary crossings is they are less busy than Lowu/Luohu, which saves you time, however the HKID won't save you much time at the border as the Hong Kong side will be fast regardless, and you still need a passport with a valid visa to enter the PRC which is at times quite a hassle.

    I have never heard of problems of entering the PRC daily, but I am also not sure, so hopefully someone with experience can speak up.

    Do keep in mind with all your entry and exit stamps your passport is going to fill up extremely quick, just keep that in mind.

    Do you have a job lined up? Why Hong Kong instead of Mainland China?

    Last edited by HKChigger; 27-10-2010 at 02:07 AM.

  3. #3

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    your passport will get filled up VERY VERY VERY quickly, factor that into your cost/convenience assessment.


  4. #4

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    your passport will get filled up VERY VERY VERY quickly, factor that into your cost/convenience assessment.
    You used to be able to get a 'Passport saver' sheet from China immigration, i.e. a sheet of paper used for the China entry/exit stamps.

    Not sure if it is still available though?

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    1,650
    Quote Originally Posted by Stoob:
    You used to be able to get a 'Passport saver' sheet from China immigration, i.e. a sheet of paper used for the China entry/exit stamps.

    Not sure if it is still available though?
    You also mentioned this in a post from 2007 and thought it was long gone. I suspect if nobody has heard of it since then it is no longer an option. I have never seen or heard of this in the last few years.

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by HKChigger:
    You also mentioned this in a post from 2007 and thought it was long gone. I suspect if nobody has heard of it since then it is no longer an option. I have never seen or heard of this in the last few years.
    Did I?

    Some memory!

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Midlevels / USA (MD) / London
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    What visa are you going to be using to live in Shenzhen?


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    11,711
    Quote Originally Posted by Chasuibao88:
    There has been some discussion on this topic before, but my case is slightly different。

    My boyfriend is mainland chinese and cannot cross into Hong Kong to live with me. It is rather hard for him to find a job in HK. So, in case he cannot move to HK, I am willing to move to Shenzhen to live with him.

    Will I be able to live in Shenzhen without a work visa in China? I will be studying part-time at nights in Shatin. I am a native english speaker, so i was going to find work as an english teacher. I plan on living in Luohu (mainland side) close to the border and working in the Northern new territories to cut down on travel time, and because i have school at night in Shatin.

    So, is it possible to live in Shenzhen without a chinese work permit, only a HK one? Will having a work visa allow me to get a hkid (not permanent id) so that it will cut down on the border crossing time?

    Plus, I hear a lot of rumours from different people. Is Luohu a relatively safe place? I am a native English speaker from the US, but am ABC and can speak fluent canto, so I look like a HK-er. Are there any buses that go to Luohu border late at night - like a minibus that runs late at night leaving from the big stations like Causeway Bay, TST, Admiralty - in case i party late :P
    Lo wu last train is at 11.30pm, no point living there as it's really busy through customs esp on foriegn passport, expect up to 20mins, do you have a home permit pass (回嚮証) if not you passport also be filled up quickly, also taxi from huanggang ( 皇剛) to (羅湖) can be pricey at RMB60 or more during rush hours.

    if you party late, you will be like me, i live in sha tau kok, you will find traveling back and forth so tiring esp after a few weeks cos it will be a 1.30hr trip each way from central to lokmachau then customs, rushing to the train at 12.10am at hung hom is not joy, no wonder I moving to fanling.

    go for a place in huanggang if really want to take this option, there are minibus from hk island to lok ma chau during the night, best way is to marry him and he will be on a two way permit, saves the long journey and the only possible choice in the long term, unless he can get a work visa ( quite hard)

    would it be better if consider work in shenzhen as a native english tutor, considering there is a demand in shenzhen will pay something close to similar to NT prices.
    Football16 likes this.

  9. #9

    Join Date
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    A rare sensible thing from the US is that you can put in extra pages. That said if you are crossing daily, your passport will still fill up very quickly and there is a limit on how many pages you can add.

    As a US citizen you will need some form of visa to enter mainland China as well (you can't get a visa on demand).

    You might want to consider teaching on the same side of the border as your B/F, and come over to HK less frequently for fun only.


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    80

    I am in a similar position to you. I live in SZ and work in Shatin. The commute is ok and is under an hour door to door.

    My advice would be to live in Futian and not Luohu. This will give you the choice of the coach and the boarder crossing at Lok Ma Chau/Futian Kou An MTR. Luohu is also not a very nice place to live. Get an apartment in SZ near the Futian Kou An MTR station, Fumin MTR station or Exhibition Centre MTR station. Just walk round the areas nearby the MTR stations and I am sure you will find something you like. Apartments in SZ can be incredibly noisey, especially at night time. Make sure you get somewhere that is not facing a main road or located above a karaoke.

    You do not need a work permit to live in SZ. You will need a visa for China though. As others have mentioned, your passport will fill up with stamps very quickly. When you have to renew your passport or China visa, you will need to find a place to stay in HK for a few days, which could be annoying.

    SZ feels safer than London to me, there is nothing to worry about. There is lots of petty crime in SZ like pick pocketing but nothing bad. If you are sensible and careful with your handbag you will be fine.

    Football16 likes this.

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