Job Discussion Forums

Rodeo · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for reading this. I apologize for it being so long!
Im from the UK, and Ive got into a bit of a situation with my Indonesian visas...

I started work at a school in Jakarta in January this year, but resigned half way through my contract, giving a good amount of times notice, and paying back all the money I was supposed to. I then re entered Indonesia on a tourist visa, and spent a bit of time travelling...

I then took up a new job in sulawesi, however when the school tried to arrange a work visa they found that my old one, and kitas, had never been cancelled, so according to immigration i was still working for the company in Jakarta, and should not have been able to leave the country as I didnt have an epo.

When I contacted the old school to ask them to arrange an epo they refused, and gave the usual 'the centre managers away' type excuses. So, I have lost my new job. I have had to leave the country, because my tourist visa expired, and am now back in the UK. However I wish to return to Indonesia next year to work, and Im wondering if anyone could suggest to me what to do. My work visa expires on the 20th January 08, and Ive been told that unless I get an epo before then, I will be unable to ever get a new work visa. But I cant get an epo without being in Indonesia, and I cant be back in Indonesia before that date....

Im confused! Im looking for some advice. Do you think the Indonesian embassy here in UK can help me? I realise how stupid I was not to know more about the visas, and immigration, and I should have checked before I left the company to make sure it was all correct, but, well, its a bit late now!

Thankyou so much for reading this, and any advice will be very much appreciated.

laughing_magpie06 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 282

I don't know whether the Indo embassy in the UK can help, it is possible if it is staffed by local people but if they are Indonesian as in Singapore, I can imagine they would be rude and unhelpful and be more harm than good. Good luck and if nothing works name and shame this school.

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

Would it not be cheaper and easier to get a new passport? That usually solves such problems as all admin is still indexed by passport number first.

sherlock · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 72

Wow, I had almost exactly the same problem earlier in the year but just have one question.

How did you leave the country without an EPO??

I was lucky in that I hadn't actually gone through the Kitas process, just the initial work visa process in Singapore, so I didn't need an EPO.

In Any case my problem was not that I didn't have an EPO, but that I was listed as employed with another school (I think this may be the same for you). My new school had to try convince my old school to cancel me off their list with the dept of Manpower. Of course my old school didn't want to do this, so it took a bit of a pay off to someone in the dept to make it all work.

I think similar may be needed in your case. Get your school's agent (they probably use one if they are located in Sulawesi) to get freindlier with someone in the dept and make it happen.

BTW, I posted my problems on this forum and didn't get much of a response. I posted at the same time on the Jakchat forum and got almost instant responses and really accurate too.... Just for future ref, the guys over there are really good with this kind of stuff.

Sherlock

beefer · Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 238 Location: java

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

I remember dealing with someone by PM away from the public forum some time ago who had similar difficulties. He complained to me that three different people had given him three completely different versions of how a procedure should work. 'Which is correct?' he wailed.

'All of them', I replied with confidence, 'most of the time'.

Rodeo · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

Thankyou everyone for your replies! One question...if I got a new passport, would I be able to get a new work visa/kitas, or would I still be under the other one? (I hope that makes sense).

Sherlock; I have no idea how I managed to leave without an epo. I had no idea I was doing anything wrong, so I just went straight through immigration at the airport and no one stopped me.
And yes my problem seems to be similar to yours. However my new school decided that they didnt want to keep me as they didnt want the hassle of arranging my new work visa. So I guess its up to me to pay off the old company, however as Im no longer in Indonesia, this may not be so easy...

One last question...if my kitas expires, and I dont receive an epo before that date, what would happen?

moscowtime · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Medan, Indonesia