Getting a Z Visa, work permit and residence permit is a time consuming and complicated process. I would suggest finding a job first. They will provide you with an invitation letter and once you are here, they can

assist with doing the health check, finding an apartment, opening a bank account, etc. We moved here from South Africa 6 weeks ago and were assisted by my employer in every step of the process. With her help we found an apartment on the first day and signed a contract the next day.

Ensure that you have your non criminal record, medical check and all qualifications certified correctly before you come. The whole process for applying changed earlier this year and if I were you, I would dot all my i's and cross all my t's before I come.

Renting: I found my flat (55 sq. meters, living room, bedroom, kitchen, another small room & a not-very-modern bathroom, solar water heating, big windows both north & south, sunlight) in a fairly old xiaoqu about a year ago. Fine fo a single occupant. Rent is Y1000/mo., agent took 1 month's rent, and I pay the landlord 6 months in advance.
Note that Y1000 is cheap. This is nothing fancy - I got what I consider a good deal. 7th (top) floor walkup, I'm used to it, rather appreciate it. Buildings with 20 or something floor are more 'modern' and more expensive, but I don't like living in the sky. Lower-mid class neighbors, 1 other foreigner, no hassles; 50 minutes walk from Yunnan U.; nearby new metro station.

Thanks again to all for the helpful responses. I’ll be sure to organise as much as possible beforehand- last time I was in China the Z visa process was very different: certainly seems more complicated now.

With any luck I can find a decent - and cheap!- place which also happens to have a soft mattress (I can but dream...).

Kind regards,
S

I believe that all certificates (academic, police, etc.) now need to be authenticated through the Chinese Embassy in you home country. That was new this year.

The system is now more bureaucratic, and documents are also sent to Beijing, that is why the process takes so long. It is making it much harder for employers to employ people who are not already in China, because of the lead times.

If you had all the documents ready you could have your work visa done and dusted within 3 weeks. This would be no different if you were in or out of China.

The newer process is that all document are colour scanned and sent to the government. They don't leave Kunming nor do you have to submit original documents at that early stage.

If you are in China you'll still need to leave to get your work visa. Currently that can be done in your home country, any country where you have residence, or HK.