How to organize contracts, messages, termination records and other evidence when a release-letter dispute starts turning serious.
2024China Work Transitions
Release Letters in China
Release letter guide for foreign workers in China dealing with employer handover, termination, work permits and visa transitions.
Start With the Problem You Actually Have
A release letter problem can be simple paperwork, or it can become a work-permit, residence-permit, contract-termination or unpaid-wages problem. The safest first step is to separate the facts: what your employer has issued, what they have refused, what your next employer needs, and what deadline is coming up.
If you are blocked from moving to a new job, keep communication calm, preserve every message and avoid signing anything you do not understand. The articles below cover the practical side of asking, documenting, negotiating and escalating.
What to Do First
1. Confirm the papersList what you already have: resignation record, termination notice, release letter, work-permit cancellation document, residence-permit status and any company seals.
2. Check the deadlineWrite down your last work day, residence-permit expiry, new employer onboarding date and any government appointment or application deadline.
3. Preserve proofSave chat logs, emails, HR messages, contract pages, payroll records, social-insurance records, notices and screenshots before accounts are closed.
4. Ask cleanlySend a clear written request for the exact document needed. Keep the tone boring, specific and professional.
All Release Letter Articles
A legal-context article for understanding why employment-law changes can affect release-letter timing, leverage and documentation.
2024A practical do-and-don't guide for asking an employer for a release letter without making the dispute harder to solve.
2024A starting point for the link between contract termination, work-permit transition and the release-letter problem.
2024Common blockers foreign workers face when employers delay, refuse or complicate release-letter handover.
2024An older advocacy post about collective pressure, employer blacklists and fighting back against release-letter abuse.
2021An older campaign post calling for reform around release-letter leverage and work-permit dependency.
2020An older warning post about how a missing employer release letter can block a new China work-visa path.
2019An older opinion post on why release-letter control creates unfair leverage over foreign workers.
2018Documents to Collect
- Employment contract, renewal agreements, job title records and any termination or resignation documents.
- Written requests for the release letter and the employer's replies, including WeChat, email and HR system messages.
- Work permit, residence permit, cancellation receipts, application screenshots and new employer instructions.
- Salary records, unpaid-wage evidence, tax or social-insurance records, attendance records and performance notices.
- A short timeline with dates, names, cities, company names, promised documents and missed deadlines.