That's all good information, thanks. Do you actually need to find an employer once you have this status? Can't you just go freelance and cut out those annoying Chinese employers? I used to have a family L visa but had to leave the country every six months, have a cup of tea and return. I know that this legally didn't entitle me to work but I did anyway, managing to build up quite a few private students, before I made the mistake of accepting a university position where they got me an expert's certificate etceteras and had my family L cancelled. The family L visa was issued in London and had no expiry date on it; however, they do keep changing things and when I phoned the embassy not so long ago the bloke on the phone maintained no such indefinite L visa exists. Of course, one Chinese person with a lack of knowledge doesn't mean it's the case, as you know so well. Cheers.