Internships and off-campus work-study on a student residence permit: the endorsement

Unofficial summary · Sources checked 10 October 2026

Yes, but only after the school approves it and the residence permit for study shows the placement's location and duration. Article 22 of the Regulations (State Council Decree No. 637) says a student holding a residence permit for study shall not do off-campus work-study or an internship unless that information is written on the permit. The steps before that endorsement come from the Ministry of Education's work-study measures and the National Immigration Administration's service guide.

If you want to see which visa line applies to your study length and which steps the site prints, use the X1 or X2 visa check. It prints the document list of the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom and asks whether you plan an internship or work-study. It does not check your school approval, your agreement or your endorsement.

What the Regulations require

Article 22 of the Regulations has two paragraphs. The first says a foreigner holding a residence permit for study who intends to do off-campus work-study or an internship must, upon the approval of the school, apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ. The application is for the location and duration of the placement to be specified in the residence permit. The second paragraph says such a student shall not engage in either activity unless that information is specified in the permit.

The English wording of Article 22 is the text published by the National Immigration Administration.

Steps before the endorsement

The English wording of the Chinese texts in this section is this site's own translation.

Follow these steps in order:

Get the school's approval for the placement. (Regulations, Article 22)
Sign an agreement with the employer. (Measures, Article 11, which refers to the agreement)
Give a copy of the agreement to the school. (Measures, Article 10)
Give the school a written unilateral commitment letter on risk. (Measures, Article 10)
Get the school's certificate letter. (Measures, Article 11)
Get the letters the NIA guide asks for. (Section 6(2), item 2 of the Chinese guide)
Apply to the public security exit and entry office where the school is located for the endorsement. (Measures, Article 11)

On letters, the Chinese NIA guide says a student who needs work-study or an off-campus internship must submit letters from the school and from the internship employer agreeing to it. The student then applies for the endorsement. Section 6(2), item 2 of the guide does not list the letters in more detail.

The measures say the application must be made within 10 days (Article 11). The measures do not say which date starts the count, or whether the days are calendar or working days. The office handling your case can confirm this.

Conditions under the work-study measures

The Measures for the Administration of Work-Study by International Students at Higher Education Institutions (notice 教外厅〔2021〕2号) were dated 29 December 2021 and published on the Ministry of Education website on 12 January 2022. Article 17 says they apply from the date of issue. Article 2 says they apply to higher education institutions giving degree education.

Article 9 sets six basic conditions. A student must:

be at least 18 years old and physically fit for the post (item 1);
hold a valid study residence permit with six months or more left (item 2);
obey Chinese law, school rules and regulations, with no record of violations (item 3);
have studied continuously at the current school for one year or more, for undergraduate and junior-college students, postgraduates, non-degree students and research scholars (item 4);
meet the school's requirements on academic progress and attendance (item 5);
meet any other condition the school sets (item 6).

Item 4 is the one most students will check first. Article 9 does not say whether a shorter period is ever accepted. Article 4 says each school makes its own implementing rules.

Article 5 of the measures sets hour limits "in principle": no more than 8 hours a week and 40 hours a month, and during the winter and summer holidays no more than 16 hours a week and 80 hours a month.

Scope and period of the endorsement

Article 12 limits the area to the prefecture-level administrative region where the school is located. Each application covers a period no longer than the validity of the study residence permit, and no longer than one year.

Article 11 has three rules:

A student may not do off-campus work-study with a residence permit that does not carry the endorsement.
A student who changes employer or period must apply for a change with a new agreement and a new school letter, within 10 days.
A student whose placement ends, for example because the employer ends the agreement, must report in writing to the school within 10 days. The student must also have the endorsement changed at the exit and entry office.

Article 14 says that if a student goes beyond the approved post or the set time limit, the public security exit and entry office handles it under the law.

Internships

The NIA English service guide (page dated 1 April 2021) lists a facilitation under section VI, item g. It covers foreign students in overseas colleges who are invited by well-known Chinese enterprises and public institutions for internships. The page says such a student may apply for a 1-year visa with the invitation letter from the internship entity and proof of study. It also says students entering under an intergovernmental agreement may apply for residence permits. The page does not define "well-known" enterprises or "key universities", and it gives no procedure beyond these sentences. Treat this as a listed facilitation, not a guaranteed entitlement.

The Chinese NIA guide (section 6(2), item 2) covers off-campus internships too. It says the endorsement is needed for "勤工助学或者在校外实习", meaning work-study or an off-campus internship.

What the Law treats as unlawful

The Exit and Entry Administration Law (the Law) is separate from the Regulations. Article 41 of the Law says no entity or individual may employ a foreigner who has no work permit or work-type residence permit. Article 42 says the education authority, with other departments, sets up a system for foreign students working to support their study and sets the scope of jobs and the limit of work time.

Article 43 says these acts are unlawful employment:

working in China without a work permit or work-type residence permit, as the relevant regulations require;
working in China beyond the scope in the work permit;
a foreign student working in breach of the regulations on work to support study, beyond the prescribed scope of jobs or the prescribed time limit.

Article 43 of the Law does not itself state the work time limit; Article 5 of the work-study measures does, as set out above.

Article 30 of the Ministry of Education's Order No. 42 says a foreign student may take part in work-study in higher education institutions, but may not take up employment, run a business or do other business activities. Order No. 42 says detailed work-study rules are set in a separate regulation. Article 1 of the work-study measures above names Order No. 42 among the rules they are made under.

Why the visa check shows a different line for X2 holders

The visa check applies one line based on study length. More than 180 days gives X1. 180 days or fewer gives X2. This split is the tool's own line. Article 36(4) and (5) of the Regulations define a short-term stay as a period not exceeding 180 days and a long-term stay as one exceeding 180 days; they do not mention X1 or X2. Confirm your visa type with the mission where you will apply.

For an X2 result, the tool prints different steps. It shows staying within the duration of stay and how an extension works. It does not show the X1 residence permit application step. For either result, the tool shows the endorsement step when the work-study or internship box is ticked. The tool cannot test your school approval, your agreement, your letters, or the 10-day count.

Article 22 of the Regulations is written for holders of a residence permit for study. Article 9(2) of the work-study measures requires a valid study residence permit with six months or more left, and neither provision describes an endorsement step before the study residence permit is issued.

Questions people ask

Can I start work before the endorsement appears on my residence permit?

No. Article 22 of the Regulations says a student holding a residence permit for study shall not engage in off-campus work-study or an internship unless the placement's information is in the permit. Article 11 of the measures says a student may not do off-campus work-study with a permit that lacks the endorsement.

What if I change employer?

Article 11 of the measures says you must apply for a change within 10 days. You need the new agreement and a new school letter. The measures do not say which day counts as day one.

Where can I work?

Article 12 of the measures limits the work to the prefecture-level administrative area where your school is located.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026 and 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal or immigration advice, and it is not published by the bodies named. If the official text differs from this page, the official text and the instructions of the body handling your application prevail.