One of the most common questions that are asked of me, as an “expert” on China, is about being HIV+. Funny, eh? I don’t have this illness, by the grace of God, but it is the most popular thing asked of me, Seriously.

The question usually goes something like this;

• “I am HIV+, I think, and I want to work in China, can I get a job?”
• Or, “I was accepted for a position in China, and I took the physical and they discovered that I am HIV+, now what do I do?”
• And, “I am employed in China, and just waiting for the test results from my physical. I fear that I am HIV+, what will happen?”

Well, after many years of answering this question in all it’s many forms, here is my article that I hope will address these answers and address the issues, your fears, and maybe give you all a better understanding on this matter.

Whether you know you are HIV+, suspect that you are, or know that you have a “light” version of HIV that usually cannot be detected, this article is for you.

The Procedure

To work in China, you need to possess something that is called a “Z-visa”.

Once you go forth job-hunting, and obtain an offer from a company, and sign the employment agreement with the company, you will get a “Z-Visa”.

Work arounds include setting up your own company in China known as a WOFE, marrying a local and having a family business, and working for a non-Chinese company outside of China and working inside of China on assignment. 

A “Z-visa” is important. It is the only way that you can legally work as an employee inside of China.

A “Z-visa” will be connected to your employment contract. It will only last as long as you are employed. Once your contract expires, the “Cinderella clause” manifests, and you will have two weeks to skedaddle and leave China, or find employment elsewhere.

The potential employer will do all the “heavy lifting” in processing this document. All you will need to do as follow their instructions. Yes. So relax, let your new employer do all the work.

They will ask you to submit documents, and for you to get a Criminal Background check in your home nation.

All of these requirements are new. Ten years ago it was so very easy to work in China. You show up, interview, and land a job. Everything else is processed quickly. Not so today.

You see, various bad actors, felt that they could come to China and live their free-wheeling crazy illegal lifestyle in exotic China. As result, drug use started to become rampant, sex offenders started to molest children, and scams by foreigners on local Chinese sky-rocketed. Not to mention a few relatives of high-ranking Chinese officials ended up contacting HIV from some foreigners…

So the Chinese government put their foot down.

Your involvement

Actually all the paperwork is just that. Paperwork.

Most of the paperwork is relatively painless. You take some photos at the photo store, you make some color copies. You collect and gather some money to pay the various fees. You authenticate or notarize documents as requested. Pretty easy stuff, if a bit of a run a round.

The big hassle is the police report. As you must get it in your home country, and it is time sensitive. It’s a real hassle for Americas and you need to go through your local state police and apply for the FBI records. But once that is all done, it’s pretty easy.

You won’t need to do much except submit your passport, copies of your diplomas, copies of your police reports, and that’s about it. At some point in time, you will be asked to go to the local “immigration hospital” for a physical.

About the hospital.

This is not an ordinary hospital. This hospital serves but one purpose. That is to perform physical on all the foreigners that work in China.

So, to answer one of the questions regarding this; no, you cannot take a physical at a hospital in your home country. You must take it at a Chinese immigration hospital inside China. As far as I know, there are no exceptions.

Though, you need not worry.

I think that you can be half-blind, in a wheelchair, with scabies, and they would probably pass you. What they look for are MAJOR HEALTH RISKS that might pose a problem to the Chinese population in general. That includes the Bubonic plague, Leprosy, and HIV.

They will examine you and then they will release you. About two weeks later they will provide your employer with a report. It will be in the form of a little book. All things in China are in the form of a little book, for some reason. It will look like a passport sized book with your photo inside and a bunch of medical results.

This report will then go into a binder and sent off to the Customs group in immigration. They then will take this information and issue a Z-visa based on their decision to approve or disapprove.

If you have HIV+ or some other STD

If you have HIV, they will discover it. Forget what ever notions you might have of China being a third world nation. They are first tier and growing rapidly. They will discover whatever illness you have.

As such if you have HIV, suspect you have HIV, or are worried what will happen, rest assured that they will check for this illness in all of it’s many strains. The report that they will issue to the immigration agents will reflect their findings and advisement’s.

Now, some words of understanding…

• The hospital’s sole responsibility is to check on your health.
• As such, they will make a recommendation to the immigration office on whether or not to issue you a z-visa.
• It is the immigration office that will decide whether or not to issue you the z-visa.

When the medical report is completed

When the medical report is completed, the hospital will send a copy of it to your employer and also to the immigration office that is processing your binder.

If you have any kind of medical issue, they will advise you of it. So if they discover that you have a brain tumor, for instance, they will be obligated on informing you of it. The same is true of any discoveries. So, if you are discovered to have HIV+ or something similar they will [1] contact you, and [2] your employer and [3] your immigration officials with their findings and their advisement’s on how to handle your application.

Please take note…

• The immigration officials may or may not accept the advice of the hospital.
• However, for the most part, they do follow their advice.

Hospital recommendations on your application.

Their advice will follow one of the following formats. It is pretty much this format for 99% of all the applicants.

• Approved.
• Approved Conditionally.
• Disapproved.

It has been my experience that those people with HIV+ are either disapproved, or approved conditionally. I would say that about 60% are approved conditionally, while a smaller number is disapproved. So you can expect a 40% chance of being disapproved if you have HIV.

Keep in mind that China is partitioned into regions. Each region is different. Some regions have a far greater incidence on approving applications conditionally, while others flat out disapprove all HIV candidates. No, I am sorry to say, I do not know which regions are better and which ones are worse.

Conditional approval.

Well, if the hospital suggests that you can work in China with conditional approval, then that is good news. However you WILL need to follow their advisement’s TO THE LETTER.

It will read something like this…

Approved. You will need to visit XXXXXX hospital, and follow the directions of YYYYYY. This may include visits to ZZZZZZ and medication as advised to QQQQQQQ.

More or less.

Typically, under conditional approval, a second step is inserted in the application process. You will need to go to the hospital that they indicate, and meet with the doctor that they specify. That doctor will then examine you (a second time), and prescribe some “treatment”, which may or may not include medicine, and subsequent hospital visits. They will also write up a form that they will provide to the immigration authority. This doctor’s recommendation will determine whether or not you will be issued a z-visa or not.

Of course, the immigration authorities might agree or disagree with his findings. Though in general you can expect that they will follow his advice.

And that is about it.

Conclusion

Having this illness is not the end of the world. If you just found out about it, I am sure that you will be in shock. Relax, drink a few beers, and relax. It’s a new direction your life has taken on. It has added complexity to your life, but it hasn’t ended it.

Don’t make the mistake that everything MUST be as you want. If you want China, but the doors to China are closed to you, do not fret. There are all sorts of alternatives for you. Many of which you may have not considered at all.

Like I said, have a beer. Relax.

Other opportunities can be…

• Move to SE Asia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma or other nations that will not require a physical for you to obtain employment.
• Marry a local. Obtain a Q1 or Q2 visa. Work in the family business, or set up your own internet business.
• Set up a company in China, known as a WOFE.
• Set up a company in Hong Kong, also a WOFE. Then work inside China under a work visa as opposed to a z-visa.

What ever happens, please know that you have options and things aren’t really as bad as you fear. Things will work out fine, just take your time. Relax and be open to new alternatives. Best Regards.

Links about China

Here are some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader, might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.

China and America Comparisons

As an American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.

Learning About China

Who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in China.

Contemporaneous Chinese Music

This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.

Parks in China

The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.

Really Strange China

Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.

What is China like?

The purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.

And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.

Summer in Asia

Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…

Some Fun Videos

Here’s a collection of some fun videos taken all over Asia. While there are many videos taken in China, we also have some taken in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea and Japan as well. It’s all in fun.

Articles & Links

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