How to immigrate and work in China as a dentist?

Work on your Chinese language proficiency.

You need to work on your Chinese language skills and become fluent. Knowing Chinese is a must as you will have to learn it. You need the language for a few reasons.

First, you need it to get admission into a Chinese dental school. Being fluent in Chinese is a requirement of these schools, and you have to submit the fluency certificate. HSK is the certificate to prove your fluency in Mandarin. Determine which certificate you need to study at a Chinese dental school.

The second reason is the national dental entrance exam. This is the exam required to enter a Chinese medical school. You need to learn about the school’s website and how to prepare for the exam.

The third reason is that you need Chinese for the national test. You need Chinese fluency to pass it. You will find out more about this exam in the below section.

Prepare and pass the national entrance exam.

The next obstacle you need to pass is the national entrance test. You need at least a high school diploma to qualify for this test. You do not need another certificate or degree to pass the national entrance exam.

Passing this exam is your key to unlocking becoming a dentist in China. The test is conducted in two days, and you need to visit China to pass it. It is conducted once a year in China.

You will have to answer some multiple choice and essay questions in the:

• English,
• Chinese,
• chemistry,
• physics,
• social studies.

If you get a high score, your chance of getting admission to Chinese dental schools is.

After you pass the exam, you need to find a Chinese dental school and apply for it. This is the list of the dental schools you can apply to them;

You should visit the university’s website and find out the requirements. Then you have to apply to them and receive admission. After they agree and grant you admission, they send you an admission letter. You need an admission letter to apply for a China student visa.

You should also determine the tuition of the dental school. Find out how much it costs and how much you must pay. Also, determine the cost of living in the Chinese city and whether you can get a general job in the city or not. You can work part-time to pay for your expenses. The rent and other living expenses must be clarified as well.

Apply for a China student visa.

After you receive the admission letter, you can apply for a China student visa. Now you need to gather the supporting documents. This is a list of the documents you have to gather;

1. A valid passport and a photo. 

The visa must be valid for at least six months from the date of application. The passport must also have blank pages to enter the visa. The applicant’s photo must have been taken during the last six months. The applicant’s photo must be in color, and the full face must be visible.

2. China student visa application form.

The applicant must complete this form. You can download the sample form from the Chinese Embassy website.

3. The admission letter.

Once a Chinese university admits a student, a letter of acceptance is issued that you will need when applying for a student visa.

4. JW201 or JW202 Form.

The forms, known as foreign student visa application forms, are issued by the Ministry of Education in China. Your university in China will provide you with a copy of these forms. Form JW201 is for students who want to receive a scholarship from the China government. Form JW202 is issued to students who fund their studies.

5. Payment receipt: The application fee for a China student visa is about $ 66, which must be paid by the applicant. You must keep your payment receipt and present it as part of your pre-visa documents.
6. The applicant must prove that he will return to his home country after graduation. During the interview, the immigration officer may also review documents related to your accommodation in China.
7. Physical examination record.

Students over the age of 19 must undergo some medical examinations and submit their results to the embassy. This requirement only applies to X1 visa applicants.

8. Language requirements. 

You might have to submit the language fluency certificate to the Chinese embassy as well.

After you gather the documents, you need to book a meeting with the Chinese embassy/consulate responsible for visa processing in your home country.

You should find out whether the embassy requires further documents or not. Also, determine if they accept a direct application or through an agency. It’s up to the embassy, and you have to figure it out. It’s up to the Chinese embassy in your home country and nationality.

Visit the embassy on the booked date, submit the documents, and pay the fees for visa processing. The fee is up to the embassy services and your nationality. You have to figure out how to pay for it and how much it is.

You should also answer their questions through an interview. It’s about your studies in China and your plans after it.

After you are done with the embassy, wait for visa processing. The embassy works on your application and decides whether to grant you a visa or not. If they reject your application, they will send you a letter and tell you why. You can remove the obstacles and apply again.

If the answer is positive, you have to send or deliver your passport to the embassy to receive the visa label on your passport.

When you get the visa label, you can fly to China to begin your studies.

Note; You can visit the Visa Library article to learn more about China student visa.

Get your degree.

After you land in China with a student visa, you need to complete a few procedures to legalize your stay. Then, you need to start your status and work hard to get your BDS certificate.

You need to pass the classic theoretical courses, lab projects, and an internship in the clinical setting.

At the end of your studies, you need to take an internship in a clinic or hospital. The last year of your studies focuses on how to take care of the patients and prepare you for the dental licensure exam. The Chinese academic year is from September to July.

In the meantime, you need to respect the national law, rules, and regulations. You’d better research your right, dos, and don’s as an international student in China.

Pass the China national licensure exam.

The procedure was this after you got your degree, you became qualified to work as a dentist in China. But the government changed it and introduced the national licensure exam that everyone, who wants to become a dentist, has to pass it.

After you pass the BDS courses, you need to take the licensure exam, which is held once a year in China.

There are two parts to the exam;

• a written part
• a clinical part

In the first part, you need to read the texts and make a diagnosis and provide a treatment plan for the patient’s condition.

In the clinical part, you visit a patient and have to make a diagnosis and provide a treatment plan. You need to get 60% of the score to pass the exam, and it is a pass-or-fail exam.

Complete post-graduate medical training.

After you pass the licensure exam, you need to pass the post-graduate medical training. You receive instructions from the Ministry of Health to take postgraduate training in a Chinese hospital, clinic, or school. You will receive income for this stage of training and work in a real practice setting.

This is the stage where you can decide to continue your studies for MA or Ph.D program. You can also pick to become a specialist in areas like;

• Orthodontics,
• Prosthodontics,
• Pediatric Dentistry

The decision is with you and your condition to continue the process. 

Apply and receive a China work visa.

After you pass the post-graduate training, you can work as a dentist in China. But every foreign national who wants to work in China needs a work visa and work permit. There are different types of China work visa but the visa you need is likely a China general work visa or Z visa.

The first step is to find an employer, a clinic, or a hospital that needs a dentist. Then the employer applies for a China Work Permit Notice. It is the government’s permission that a foreign person can work in China.

Then you, as a dentist, need to apply for a work visa to enter the country. But if you are inside China at the time of application, you might not need a visa to enter the country as you are already inside China. The rules and regulations are not clear about this. After you land in China or after getting the work permit notice, you need to pass a few other stages as well;

• Medical test in China
• Work permit
• Residence permit.

You can learn more about China’s work visa by reading the article on the Vsia Library page or watching the video on our YouTube channel.