Job Discussion Forums

[Andy123]

I have been told by several people now that the travel agents are telling people that after Tet there will be visa changes.

They are telling people that "all" visa renewals will be 3 months only and that you will have to get it renewed outside the country (no border runs) that is PP or BBK.

Rumor or true? If true this will mean several hundred dollars every 3 months for airfare, hotel, time off of work and the 2-3 day wait at the Vietnamese embassy.

The people I know who have had their work permits denied or schools that are not processing work permits seems to be the norm.

If true, things are not getting better but worse. With 20-25% inflation it doesn't look good.

I hope people have money saved.

[just noel]

[CThomas]

Hmmm... what about business visas? You mean all visas as in business and tourist visas.

Thanks for the info...

[Andy123]

Yes business visas too.

Thailand has done the same thing is the past, that is making it more expensive in the hopes to get the low income scum to leave yet maintain the "higher quality" of westerner.

[CThomas]

Okay, I think I can do this whilst I pursue a WP. Maybe.

It's worth a try here. Buen Suerte, amigos. Good luck, my friends.

[The Fat Rabbit]

Yea, I'd just like to toss in my ' I've heard this too ' message. However, I'd like to confirm what's being said by saying that I know a person who has already made this trip to B-kok and back. I'll call him and confirm what the embassy in B-kok offered and for how much cash. Then I'll post up the info for anyone who unfortunately needs it.

Apparently the moc bai border run thing has been shut down after so many foreigners did it, they only issue 1 month tourist visas there now. I was also told by the people at expat.vn that now a person must be out of the country before applying for a new visa and even before applying for a visa-on-arrival letter. The immigration offices can check using some program they have to see if you've left yet or not. Meaning that you need to leave the country, then either apply for a visa-on-arrival via email or go to the nearest VN embassy, wait, then FLY back. All for 3 months. Is it worth it?

It's certainly possible to process the work permit on your own. The majority of the work involved can be done by the employee. The guy at the labor permit office did think it was strange that I wanted to do it myself, however he said it was possible, I would just need to get copies of a few documents from my employer. Just check http://expat.vn/work-permit-in-vietnam for the list. It's ultra costly and annoying to get your documents legalized and translated, but you would only need to do that one time. So, if you change your employer, then you would only need to go back down to the labour permit office and submit the documents again and pay the processing fee which probably changes per province/town.

My friend up North told me his employer applied for approval for him to work without a work permit from the provincial people's committee. It was approved, and the immigration office then had to process the visa because the provincial government is higher than the immigration office. They gave him a brand new 6 month B3 less than a month ago.

I'm not sure, but it sounds like these laws have always existed. They've just never been applied. Now they're trying to apply them. However, it seems like the police aren't applying them evenly across the country and some immigration offices are up-to-date, some aren't, and some interpret the laws incorrectly.

Is it possible this most recent wave of changes is here to stay?

[The Fat Rabbit]

How did your friends have their WPs denied? Is that possible?

[CThomas]

A friend a mine just talked to an agent who has handled his visa issues for year now. After TET, you can get a renewal, then, yes, you have to buy a new visa. If you find the right person, though, basically they'll travel for you (or whatever they do) and get the visa. $145 for a 6 month visa then $43 to renew that. That gives you another year.

I'm pretty darned sure that anyone reading this can get whatever they want visa-wise just by talking to people. If one agent tells you something you don't like, go find another one. They all have entirely different connections, perspectives, and resources.

Good luck, amigos.

[The Fat Rabbit]

$145 for a new 6 month B3 visa? how long is the processing time? Does someone actually travel to cambodia and back for you? What do you need to provide besides the money and passport? Is it a B3? For that price, you could afford a WP, couldn't you?

I'm sorry to say this, but I find it really hard to believe that this is still possible. The buy whatever you want visa days are definitely over. Cruise down pham ngu lao and ask the travel agencies about visas. The second you mention that your visa is a B3, the answer is no. I sent out way too many emails not that long ago in hopes to find the magic travel agency but never did. I then walked around to some shadier places around the pham and got the same answer. My friend's visa ran out before mine and I remember speaking to him on the phone when he was in front of the VN embassy in bangkok. This is when i decided to make the WP. I forgot to mention this in my last message, but the government does not allow travel agencies to handle B3 visas anymore. I was told that by a lawyer at expat.vn.

Working on a C3 or any other visa is illegal as far as I know. I know a viet guy from the US in my town and he's only got a US passport. He told me about how easy it was for him to get a 6 month visa extension just recently, so I went down there to try it out for myself. They said no, so I mentioned my friend's name who just had it done and they said that his is a C3 and that he's not allowed to work.

From how I understand it, the law states that you can work in the country for 3 months without a work permit. This is why anyone can apply for a 3 month B3 visa outside of the country and not need a WP ahead of time. However, in those three months, you need to process your WP. If you don't, you need to either ask for approval to work without one from the provincial people's committee or get out and start again. Leaving and coming back must technically reset your time in VN back to day one, allowing you to work again for another 3 months. Am I making sense? However, this is a fairly easy loophole to see through and it probably won't be too long before they create a similar system to that of Thailand where they limit your total # of entries/time in the country in a year.

[CThomas]

You're making perfect sense here. I'd like to have a WP myself... hopefully soon. It really depends on the situation for different people.

[snollygoster]

Friend of mine just did the Cambodian run, after getting a letter from the Vietnam government inviting him back to Vietnam before he went.

Tried coming back with that letter, but it was rejected at the border, despite assurances all would be well.

Back to PP and visited Embassy where he was issued a 3 month visa by a Cambodian guard at the front of the Viet Embassy.

Confused? Most certainly.
Then how about the guy I know has a Visa exemption till 2014, needs to go out of Vn to keep it active, every 90 days.
Took it to Immigration Offioce and they said "no problem- dont go out- we will stamp it here. Brings his passport and gets the reply "Thats not right-I cant do that" even though the office worker was the same one he had talked to an hour earlier.
Need a work permit- Go to Peoples Committee and they will give you one.

Peoples Committe say its better to say you are "retired". Then dont need a WP. OK I'm retired. No you arent- you need a WP.

Here we go round the mulberry bush!

When this issue is so filled with government officials all understanding whatever laws and rules apply to this matter in differing ways, how easy is it for the foreigner- the "football" in this game, to feel any sense of security?

[Mattingly]

[The Fat Rabbit]

if you've had a WP before, its easy to get the second time. But you don't go to the people's committee to do it. You need to head to a different office. It's called the Labour and Social Welfare Service. I forget the Vietnamese name but it's something like 'nguoi lao dong va xa hoi'. It takes 15 days to make.