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clifton10
Joined: 21 Mar 2010
Posts: 71
Location: Jakarta
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 Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:35 am Post subject: Visa renewal blues |
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Hi all, well my visa wasn't extended for ninety days as I've requested. Instead, immigration only gave one month, enough time to pack up and leave this country. I was working part-time at my second language school here in Hanoi, and in the end, the support and benefits weren't great. Tet, especially, really screwed things up.
What that means is that I have no choice but to fly home to the USA since I'm not able to work here legally now. The problem is: I am short by about one million VND to purchase the flight(I am due to fly out next Wednesday night) so I'm screwed. Cleverlearn took out money from my pay after seein g a doctor for a dog bite. so that's what screwed me big time!!! Does anybody have advice on my situation? I have accepted a position to teach English recently in Indonesia, but that doesn't start until June, so again I need to fly home to avoid going broke over here.
Hanoi lost its' appeal to me and I don't know whom to turn to as I'm still trying to schedule a phone call with a close friend back home. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. |
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Oh My God
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 273
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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I'm in Saigon so I can't really help you BUT if you're considering staying in Hanoi until June, I'd suggest looking for a post from snollygoster then click the PM and asking him for assistance as he was in Hanoi.
He seems to be a good hearted individual and has been known to help others with better jobs and Visa renewal contacts. I believe that you could renew that monthly Visa again and again.
Good Luck and I'll include you in my prayers! |
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[email protected]
Joined: 27 Oct 2010
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Couldn't you do a visa run and fly to somewhere like Bangkok and return with a new visa? If your second part-time job stop hiring you, I'm pretty sure that you could find work elsewhere. Have you check out www.newhanoian.com site? There are always job posting and advice there if you need it. If it makes you feel better I have the same problem as you with only being able to renew my visa for only 1 month. I guess I'll have to deal with it when the time comes. Good luck with everything. |
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Mushroom Druid
Joined: 19 Oct 2009
Posts: 91
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:50 pm Post subject: Re: Visa renewal blues |
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| clifton10 wrote: |
| I was working part-time at my second language school here in Hanoi, and in the end, the support and benefits weren't great. Tet, especially, really screwed things up. |
The Tet shut-down hurts a lot of teachers. It slows down before, shuts down completely during, and is slow for 6-8 weeks after Tet.
Savings slowly and steadily dwindle just to pay for the cost of living. It's hurt me a lot. Enough to consider leaving myself. I was in Korea. At least work was steady, there.
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| What that means is that I have no choice but to fly home to the USA since I'm not able to work here legally now. |
I don't understand. Why can't you work legally? You didn't say you had a work permit, so why should it matter if you don't have one.
I, and many others do not have a work permit (even though we have all of the documents to get one, the bureaucracy is too burdensome).
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The problem is: I am short by about one million VND to purchase the flight(I am due to fly out next Wednesday night) so I'm screwed. Cleverlearn took out money from my pay after seein g a doctor for a dog bite. so that's what screwed me big time!!! Does anybody have advice on my situation? I have accepted a position to teach English recently in Indonesia, but that doesn't start until June, so again I need to fly home to avoid going broke over here.
Hanoi lost its' appeal to me and I don't know whom to turn to as I'm still trying to schedule a phone call with a close friend back home. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. |
This is another warning to all: have plenty of savings for any unexpected visa hassle, financial hiccup, or.......dog bite......
Yo are luck you have family to fall back on.
Many of us (including me) don't.
The longer we stay in VN teaching, the harder it is to return home. |
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Mushroom Druid
Joined: 19 Oct 2009
Posts: 91
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:53 pm Post subject: Re: Visa renewal blues |
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| clifton10 wrote: |
| Hi all, well my visa wasn't extended for ninety days as I've requested. Instead, immigration only gave one month |
Why only 1 month?
Is this a new standard policy?
Does this apply to us all?
I need to know, because if this is what I can expect, I am out of here. |
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H5N1
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 80
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:09 am Post subject: Re: Visa renewal blues |
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| clifton10 wrote: |
| Hi all, well my visa wasn't extended for ninety days as I've requested. Instead, immigration only gave one month, enough time to pack up and leave this country. |
OP,
We need more information.
You say, "extended."
Do you mean, you were on a 3 month business B3 visa, and asked for an extension? An extension of 90 more days?
As far as I know, this is still being done, one time. After the first 90 day extension, then you have to fly out & fly in with a letter to get another 3 months. And a month ago, people were still getting 6 month visas by flying out and in, with a letter.
Since you were denied a 3 month extension, does this mean that three-month extensions are now discontinued?
OP, I have not heard of anyone else having this problem anywhere in Vietnam. I assume you are in either HCMC or Hanoi
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| Cleverlearn took out money from my pay after seein g a doctor for a dog bite. |
There are many good hospitals here that would screen for a dog bite (rabies vaccine?) for an affordable price. I hope you didn't go to the "foreign hospitals" like S.O.S. and French Vietnamese.
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| Hanoi lost its' appeal to me |
OK, you're in Hanoi.
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| and I don't know whom to turn to as I'm still trying to schedule a phone call with a close friend back home. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. |
A friend or relative can send a Moneygram or money to you via Western Union.
Since you only need a million Dong I have one idea.
Tell people you situation, and ask everyone you can (colleagues, acquaintances, friends) to lend/give you 1 million.
I am still wondering why you did not just fly out & in with a letter to get a 6 month. (Unless of course....this has been cancelled, as things change constantly here).
Best of luck and keep us posted. |
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toiyeuthitmeo
Joined: 21 May 2010
Posts: 213
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:25 am Post subject: |
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We do need some more information.
The thing that grabs me is that the OP plans to fly all the way to North America, then possibly back to SE Asia in June, which is, what, 50 days or so away?
Last time I checked, the price of those air tickets would be upwards of $1200USD (Here to N America to back to Indonesia).
$1200USD is certainly enough to live on for 50 days, whether in Vietnam, or if quite careful, in Thailand, where, as an American citizen, you can visit/live for up to 30 days without needing any visa. Mind me, you'd be living quite frugally.
I'm assuming that since you're 1M short on airfare, you currently don't have the full amount of cash to make the round trip from SE Asia and back for your Indo job, which leads me to believe you've got some financial help from someone back home? Or a job lined up? Or a free place to live? Or are you totally screwed with no one to fall back on?
Or is this the first time I've seen a Nigerian-style email fraud on Dave's? 
Don't want to make light of your situation. I've feared being down-and-out in VN before. Hope it turns out ok. 1M is $50USD, I'm sure there's someone in your life who can help out. |
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Mattingly
Joined: 03 Jul 2008
Posts: 249
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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| toiyeuthitmeo wrote: |
We do need some more information.
The thing that grabs me is that the OP plans to fly all the way to North America, then possibly back to SE Asia in June, which is, what, 50 days or so away?
Last time I checked, the price of those air tickets would be upwards of $1200USD (Here to N America to back to Indonesia).
$1200USD is certainly enough to live on for 50 days, whether in Vietnam, or if quite careful, in Thailand, where, as an American citizen, you can visit/live for up to 30 days without needing any visa. Mind me, you'd be living quite frugally.
I'm assuming that since you're 1M short on airfare, you currently don't have the full amount of cash to make the round trip from SE Asia and back for your Indo job, which leads me to believe you've got some financial help from someone back home? Or a job lined up? Or a free place to live? Or are you totally screwed with no one to fall back on?
Or is this the first time I've seen a Nigerian-style email fraud on Dave's?
Don't want to make light of your situation. I've feared being down-and-out in VN before. Hope it turns out ok. 1M is $50USD, I'm sure there's someone in your life who can help out. |
The OP said he 'could not legally work in Vietnam' because he was on a 30 day visa.
I don't understand this, as he was previously working.
Yes, we need more info.
Perhaps there is more to the story. I suspect there is. But it needs to confirmed by the OP.
As for being down and out in VN, it can definitely happen.
On a related matter, a lot of job adds in Hanoi are asking for "a work permit within 1 month of starting employment."
But it can take months to get a work permit, especially with the police check in VN that require 6 months in VN, and THEN it takes 40 days or more to get the police to issue a police check.
Are the visa rules being changed, AGAIN?
I'll try to find out. You never know what to expect here. Another reason to ALWAYS HAVE A backup plan. Even the guys that are married and teaching here, are on borrowed time. |
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clifton10
Joined: 21 Mar 2010
Posts: 71
Location: Jakarta
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| Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 11:48 am Post subject: |
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Hi again, sorry it has taken me awhile(I don't have a pc-just use internet cafe computers). Well, I won't be going back to the US, instead I'll be flying to Bangkok on Thursday. My friend back home is broke too! Anyways, I don't know what to do at this point. M-a-y-b-e I should fly back here on another visa and look for work here in VN again(although it'll definitely not be here in Hanoi, but perhaps HCMC or Haiphong). First,though, I had my dog bite treated at a Vietnamese hospital here in HN, meaning it was less expensive than what would've been the case if I went to SOS. What really screwed me was TET of course; and as a result, I had to choose between eating and paying the rent(I chose the former of course). The guesthouse in which I'm still staying at held my passport as a deposit until I was able to pay the rent.
So when it came time for me to renew my visa, I told the guesthouse about this and I had Cleverlearn call the guesthouse. The latter went ahead and applied for a renewal of my visa. A week later, when I was FINALLY able to pay the rent(as well as the rent for my last few days here), I was only given one month and I lost my teaching job at Cleverlearn. The AD at the school told me that I had the attention of immigration-all for not being able to pay rent because of a unpaid holiday which is too long and doesn't make any sense to me.
So, should I just stay in Thailand and try to look for work there until my new gig in Indo starts in two months, or should I come back here and get some work? Also, which summer only schools should I consider contacting before I fly out on the AirAsia bird??? I will look at the New Hanoian, but not until Saturday. Oh, not Apollo(been there, done that) or LL. Again, in Haiphong, HCMC or even near the coast. Thanks for your help, and the nest egg thing will be of more use for me now after arriving in Indo.
One more question: do you think that it may have to do with the upcoming elections  |
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just noel
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 168
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| Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| clifton10 wrote: |
| M-a-y-b-e I should fly back here on another visa and look for work here in VN again(although it'll definitely not be here in Hanoi, but perhaps HCMC or Haiphong). |
I would seriously consider returning to VN on a SIX MONTH VISA (that you can get with a letter). More details on why below.
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First,though, I had my dog bite treated at a Vietnamese hospital here in HN, meaning it was less expensive than what would've been the case if I went to SOS. What really screwed me was TET of course; and as a result, I had to choose between eating and paying the rent(I chose the former of course). The guesthouse in which I'm still staying at held my passport as a deposit until I was able to pay the rent.
So when it came time for me to renew my visa, I told the guesthouse about this and I had Cleverlearn call the guesthouse. The latter went ahead and applied for a renewal of my visa. A week later, when I was FINALLY able to pay the rent(as well as the rent for my last few days here), I was only given one month and I lost my teaching job at Cleverlearn. The AD at the school told me that I had the attention of immigration-all for not being able to pay rent because of a unpaid holiday which is too long and doesn't make any sense to me. |
I'm sorry to hear about your dog bite, but at a good Vietnamese hospital it must not have been much of an expense.
No offense, but you should have planned ahead for Tet. Tet comes every year. It slows down/shuts down. You (by the sound of your post) are obviously part-time. That is fine. But plan ahead. You could have saved $100 USD per month in the months preceding Tet to cover rent at a guesthouse, etc., and a visit to a local VNese hospital.
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So, should I just stay in Thailand and try to look for work there until my new gig in Indo starts in two months, or should I come back here and get some work? |
Do NOT go to Thailand to look for work. May is the season for hiring and they want full-time, committed teachers, and you'll make a whopping 30,000-35,000 Baht per month IF you get hired, because you don't know what schools are good and what schools are hiring.
If you want to teach in Thailand, bring $3,0000 USD with you just to get started. I also advise bringing enough cash to leave, as you will not save money there.
Also, it's not your AD's fault that YOU could not pay your rent to a guesthouse. No offense.
You also should have asked around and realized that you CAN get a 6 month visa by simply getting a letter and flying in and out, even on the same day.
I am only offering advice because you asked, and you have been honest.
1. plan ahead for Tet, and cheap medical expenses.
2. research visas in VN. You should have never taken the visa renewal route you took. Did the guesthoue or your school get your visa? Extension?
3. research Thailand before you go, so you won't go broke there.
4. research Indonesia and realize you'll make a very low wage there, and save very little.
If you're having trouble saving in Vietnam Thailand and Indonesia may be very difficult for you.
Keep us posted, and take care.
If you want to know where to get a 6 months visa letter in Hanoi, PM me. |
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