I really did not know there were two kinds of Z visas! I guess we learn something new every day. According to SAFEA and China Scam Patrol, legal visas come from invitation letters that are issued directly by the employer who holds an SAIC business license and is registered with SAFEA (see complete list at China Foreign Teacher News, Updates, & Scam Alerts). And illegal Z visas originate from invitation letters issued by third parties, and apparently there are people paying up to $5,000 for these black market invitation letters. Anyway, the Z visa that goes in your passport looks exactly the same and without looking at your invitation letter and verifying the SAIC business license to be a match with your actual employer, you will only find out when the coppers knock on the door and haul your ass of to jail for 30 days before they deport you!Scam Warning: Illegal Z Visas Just Got 132 China Foreign ESL Teachers Arrested! - TEFL Forums - Eslbase.com

Only three years ago we all got warnings in China no matter what we did wrong. Now they are sticklers for everything it seems. Last week they arrested three teachers at my school because their diplomas turned out to be counterfeits! Next they will be checking to see if we are circumcised or Buddhists. Next year I'm teaching in Singapore - more money, no hassles, and even clean air to breathe!