Raise the children.
Design the system.

Every family member needs their own correct immigration documents; a working parent’s permission does not automatically cover a child. The right family route depends on the relationship, nationality and the person being joined. S- and Q-visa situations are different. Confirm your case with the Chinese mission before travel and Shenzhen exit-entry authority after arrival.

For a first stay in a private home, foreigners or their hosts must register the accommodation within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels handle registration for their guests. Ask the local authority about the applicable process for your address and later moves or returns.

• Check passport validity, current permission and each person’s relevant application deadline.
• Prepare relationship records and any translations or certification actually requested.
• Mixed-nationality families should clarify each child’s status directly; a passport alone may not resolve a citizenship question.

NIA: accommodation registration ↗ · Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa categories ↗ · Shenzhen: family-reunion residence services ↗

Treat school as the anchor decision. Compare entry eligibility, curriculum continuity, language support, safeguarding, learning support and the complete annual cost. Schools for children of foreign personnel have specific eligibility requirements; the label “international” does not make all schools interchangeable.

1. Confirm the child’s eligibility and a realistic admissions route directly with the school.
2. Ask about assessment, learning needs, records, places and start dates.
3. Request an itemised fee sheet: tuition, deposits, transport, meals, uniform, exams, activities and refund terms.
4. Test the actual school run and parent commute before choosing a long-term home. Keep a temporary-learning plan if a place is not yet confirmed.

Keep recent reports, teacher references, curriculum history and relevant learning-support information portable. Public-school access must be checked against current district rules and your child’s documents.

Education Bureau: foreign-national school eligibility ↗ · Shenzhen: international schools directory ↗ · Education Bureau: 2026 school admissions notice ↗

Choose a nearby everyday provider and a higher-capability paediatric hospital before the first urgent problem. Shenzhen’s municipal hospital directory includes Shenzhen Children’s Hospital and Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital. Confirm the campus, current service, opening hours, booking route, language support and insurance arrangements directly.

• Travel with an immunisation record showing vaccine names and dates. Ask the receiving clinic to review overseas records and any school vaccination-check requirements.
• For records missing from the local system, ask a community vaccination clinic about review and transfer. Booking channels and eligibility can differ; an old mini-program instruction is not a current appointment.
• Check coverage, exclusions, direct billing, reimbursement and emergency authorisation with your insurer and provider.

Health Commission: municipal hospitals ↗ · Pingshan Health Bureau: vaccination and school records ↗ · Luohu Government: emergency numbers ↗

Give each language a purpose in your family’s life. A stable home language, regular Mandarin contact and patient translation can fit together. Children may use different languages with different people; progress is not a daily performance test.

• Ask the school how much teaching happens in each language, how groups are levelled and what beginner support looks like.
• Choose enjoyable routines: a short story at home, the same playground, a regular class and familiar local adults.
• Keep communication with teachers open. Discuss learning or language concerns with an appropriately qualified professional rather than diagnosing them from a checklist.

A useful family question: which relationships, books and traditions do we want each language to keep available to our child?

Build the weekly village deliberately. Start with one easy outdoor place, one structured activity and one trusted family or caregiver who could help in a real emergency. Repeat the same plans until they feel familiar.

If you employ childcare or domestic help, use a lawful arrangement and agree hours, pay, holidays, illness, pickup authority, transport and emergency procedure in writing. Check references and safeguarding arrangements. Avoid relying on one person or one payment method.

Build the family file once, then update it when an address, school, permission or health need changes. Keep originals secure, a protected digital backup and a limited emergency version that trusted caregivers can access. Do not upload passports, children’s details or medical files to this planner.

Identity and permission

Passports, current visas or permits, relationship records, accommodation registration and authorised pickup names.

Health

Allergies, conditions, prescribed medicines with generic names and instructions, vaccination record, insurance and chosen providers.

Education

Reports, references, learning-support information, school contacts, timetable and transport details.

Emergency

Bilingual address, two trusted local contacts and a clear plan for who contacts, collects and accompanies the child.