Off-Campus Internships and Work-Study for International Students in China: How to Add an Endorsement to a Residence Permit
International students with a study residence permit need approval from both their school and host organization for an off-campus internship or work-study placement, and must apply to the public security exit-entry administration for an endorsement on the permit. They may not start before the procedure is complete.
Are off-campus internships allowed?
The primary purpose of a study residence permit remains study. If you want an off-campus internship, part-time role, or work-study placement, contact your school's international student office and department. Explain the organization, position, location, duration, hours, and whether it is paid. If the school does not approve or the placement does not fit the academic program, an invitation from a company alone does not allow you to start.
Your current study residence permit is valid.
Your enrollment, grades, and attendance meet school requirements.
The internship content is consistent with your academic program or other permitted activities.
The school is willing to issue a formal consent letter.
The host organization is willing to provide truthful documents describing the position and its duration.
The endorsement is required before any off-campus activity begins
Under the National Immigration Administration's service guidance, a foreign national holding a study residence permit who needs to undertake work-study or an off-campus internship must submit consent letters issued by the school and the host organization and apply to the public security exit-entry administration for an endorsement on the residence permit. Without the endorsement, off-campus work-study or internships are not permitted.
The endorsement will identify the host organization, location, and duration. It is not an open work permit and does not authorize simultaneous work for other organizations. Course requirements, payment arrangements, or a company's assurances cannot replace processing by the exit-entry authority.
Submit a complete internship plan to the school
The host organization's legal name, address, and contact person.
Position title, specific duties, and learning objectives.
Start and end dates and the weekly schedule.
Work location and any remote-work or business-travel arrangements.
Pay, allowances, insurance, and responsibility for expenses.
Academic supervisor, workplace supervisor, and assessment method.
How the placement relates to the course and the validity of the residence permit.
The organization's name and actual office location must be accurate. If you found the opportunity through an agency or platform, confirm the legal entity that will ultimately host and supervise you. Compare the job advertisement and interview promises with the formal internship agreement, and report any change in the position to the school again.
Review every clause of the internship agreement before signing: who supervises you on site, how accidents are reported, whether commercial insurance covers commuting and business travel, how allowances are calculated, and how many days' notice is required for early termination. If customer data, source code, photographs, or research materials are involved, confirm the scope of confidentiality, ownership of the work, and deletion requirements after you leave. As a rule, the host organization should not retain your original identity documents for an extended period.
From school approval to the exit-entry endorsement
Apply to the school and submit the internship plan.
Have the school and host organization each issue a formal consent or certification letter.
Prepare your passport, residence permit, application form, photograph, and locally required documents.
Book an appointment with the public security exit-entry office for the place where you intend to reside.
Submit the endorsement application and attend an interview or provide supplementary documents if requested.
Collect the updated residence permit or endorsement result and check every detail.
Begin the internship only within the approved dates, organization, location, and duration.
Do not begin doing actual work under labels such as “training,” “trial work,” or “unpaid” before the application has been accepted and the endorsement completed. The absence of pay does not necessarily change the nature of the activity.
Keep records during the internship
Keep the approval documents, agreement, and endorsement details.
Record attendance, assigned duties, and supervisor feedback.
Have pay or allowances issued by the agreed entity and retain proof of payment.
Obtain fresh approval before any change of position, location, duration, or organization.
Do not accept ongoing work unrelated to the approved position.
Obtain an internship certificate at the end and notify the school.
If the host asks you to work for an affiliated company, move to another city, or extend the placement, pause the changed portion and let the school and exit-entry authority determine whether a new endorsement is required. Verbal approval is not enough.
On the first day, confirm the work location, emergency exits, direct supervisor, and accident contact. If allowances are withheld, you are forced to work excessive hours, harassed, deprived of documents, or assigned dangerous tasks, keep schedules, chats, emails, and payment records, and contact the responsible school staff member promptly. If your personal safety is threatened, leave the site and contact the police or emergency medical services; you do not need to wait for internal company approval.
Common misconceptions and what to do if an application fails
Common misconceptions include applying campus teaching-assistant rules to an off-campus company, assuming an unpaid internship needs no approval, obtaining a letter from a friend's company while working elsewhere, and treating a single endorsement as permission for ongoing part-time work. If the application documents do not match the actual position, correct them before starting.
If the endorsement is refused or the school does not approve, do not bypass the school by signing a separate consultancy contract. You may adjust the position, duration, or course arrangements and seek a new assessment, or choose not to carry out the internship in China.
Graduation, suspension of studies, and differences between cities
After graduation, your enrollment status and the basis for your study residence change; the original internship endorsement can no longer support employment. To remain employed in China, an eligible organization must apply for a work permit and arrange the corresponding residence formalities. A suspension or withdrawal from studies, a transfer, or an internship in another city also requires fresh confirmation.
Universities differ in their internal approval forms, permitted hours, course credits, and insurance arrangements. Exit-entry offices also implement document requirements by city. You must meet both the school's requirements and those of the public security authority.
Official basis and verification date
The requirements for consent letters from the school and host organization, an endorsement on the residence permit, and the prohibition on off-campus internships without an endorsement are based on the National Immigration Administration's residence-document service guidance and published responses from public security authorities, verified through 2026-8-4. Before proceeding, follow the current requirements of your school and the public security exit-entry administration for your intended place of residence.