Pregnancy and your work contract

Your leave is in the contract

Foreign staff are not always on the same maternity rules as local employees. Read the Chinese and English versions. Confirm, in writing with HR: paid weeks, unpaid weeks, whether the job is held, and whether housing continues.

Paternity leave, if it exists, is also a contract term. Do not assume a national number applies to you.

Tell HR on purpose

You do not have to announce a pregnancy at week six. You should announce it in time to plan cover, and before anyone at work hears it second-hand. Ask for the conversation by email so there is a record.

If the contract is not renewed

A work residence permit is tied to an employer. If your employer does not renew, the permit clock starts. You may need to leave, switch employers, or change to a family visa if one parent still has a job.

An S1 family visa can be possible when one parent holds a residence permit and the other does not. Rules and processing times change. Start at the Exit-Entry bureau with a Mandarin speaker. Do not wait until the current permit has 10 days left.

What to get in writing this month

Maternity leave dates. Whether 社保 is being paid, and whether 生育保险 is included. Who pays the hospital if the company plan is involved. Whether a two-bedroom is possible. What happens to housing during leave.