Job Discussion Forums

[lucreziaborgia]

The quintessential information re Visas and Work Permits is available here.
I suggest everyone with questions and uncertainties reads it.

[inky]

You Asked

(13-10-2009)

Dear Viet Nam News,

The main topic of conversation amongst the expatriate community at the moment concerns the sudden withdrawal by the immigration department of the six- month business visa. This visa is what 90 per cent of the expats living here use and now only being able to get a one month visa extension will make life here quite difficult. Apart from the cost, there is the difficulty in being unable to travel, go to the bank, etc., because we won�t have our passports for one week for every month. Also we will have to register every month with the local People�s Committee. Why has it been withdrawn? Why is the expat community being treated like this? Does the Government no longer appreciate the wealth of experience, and to not mention money, that this group of people bring to Viet Nam? Are there any plans for the State to return to the six-month visa policy?

David Wood Nha Trang.

Dear Sir,

I had a visa from the Vietnamese embassy in the UK for one month. I had several of these. Then I had a one-year visa, then I could only get a six-month visa. Now we can only get one month visas that are single entry.

I have lived in Viet Nam since November 2008 and find that the B3 visa is now so restricted that it is of great concern. This rule also applies to foreigners who have been here five or 10 years.

Does the Vietnamese Government not want the British, Europeans and Americans to live, work and pay relevant taxes in Viet Nam?

Kind Regards,
Mark Tu

Dear Viet Nam News readers,

Above are letters from two readers, who wrote to the newspaper expressing their concerns about recently approved visa procedures, which have stopped the issuing of six-month visas. Regarding these issues, we have talked to the Deputy Director of the Immigration Management Department, Le Thanh Dung, to seek answers.

Dung confirmed that the regulation on visas in Viet Nam, approved since 2000, has not changed. The only difference that was made since the passing of Decree 34 pertained to the recruitment and management of foreign employees, which happened last year.

According to the decree, all foreigners, except for diplomats, staying in Viet Nam for over three months will have to get a work permit to stay in the country. Within the next three months, if they do not get a work permit, they will be sent back to their countries.

Details about Decree 34 can be found at the website of the Ministry of Justice:

http://vbqppl.moj.gov.vn/law/en/2001_to_2010/2008/200803/200803250001_en

The Decree is part of the efforts to reorganise the foreign labour market in Viet Nam in order to attract skilful workers to the country.

Regarding the concerns of tourists, Dung explained that the Government encouraged the development of tourism and wanted to attract more and more overseas tourists to Viet Nam. However, with regards to national security and social stability, this was the way the Government had acted in order to ensure expats� equality as a Vietnamese citizen, while they are living in Viet Nam.

Dung also said that this was an effort by the Government to attach responsibility to the Vietnamese companies and offices that hire foreigners.

He said that under the regulations, issuing visas would be based on the purpose of the individual entering Viet Nam. Companies that recruit overseas labour would have to take legal and social responsibility for the safety and social rights of these workers while they are living in Viet Nam.

For individuals who are coming to the country to work, they should have long-term contracts with a legal entity in Viet Nam. They can also get a temporary residence card, for one to five years, in accordance with their work contract and passport duration.

As the conditions for each case are unique and with the agencies possibly trying to extort foreigners, Dung suggested that individuals work directly with local immigration departments in order to follow the exact procedure. In the event that an individual is pestered by a bureaucratic staff member, he/she can directly contact the Department of Immigration Management Department and Ministry of the Public Security by post at 40A Hang Bai Street, Ha Noi or contact them at [email protected] by email.

Dung confirmed that if foreigners had been living in Viet Nam with clear purposes, and had documents to prove their skills then their visas will be approved without any difficulties. An individual that had been living in the country for years legally should be able to get a visa extension.

He also added that the department would strengthen their enforcement in the near future. The issuance of one-month visas would also be reviewed. Individuals who had stayed in Viet Nam for a long time, but had failed to find reliable sources to state their reasons for why they are here, would be dismissed from the country.

Therefore, our advice to those concerned is to quickly contact the nearest immigration departments. In case they still have difficulties with the procedures, please provide us with specific information about their job, employer name and living location in Viet Nam, and we will try to help find a solution.

Best wishes,
The Editor

[just noel]

Thanks for posting the article.

We must keep in mind, who the newspaper work for.

The VN newspapers are operated by the government.

[lucreziaborgia]

Hence can be taken seriously.

[Green Acres]

So this means that the retired westerner, who is married, but not working, and owns a house and property....must leave?

If this is so, and please correct me if I am wrong, but then everything I've ever said negative about the Vietnamese government is merely light gossip. This is a serious invasion of property and social rights (which, by the way, foreigners are not allowed to safeguard by creating their own unions or by joining vietnamese unions).

The backlash from this will be severe. If one was wondering whether to leave, I do believe the writing is on the wall. For those thinking of coming here....the black market economy rules!! But only if you have a visa.

[inky]

MOD EDIT Qualified teachers are in an advantageous position now that the playing field is being cleared out.

[lucreziaborgia]

Indeed.

[Zembekiko1Aegean]

Granted, the VN News article was pretty scary.....But I've been following the news in this country since I arrived, and I've seen some pretty stupid things come out of the mouths of those in power up in Hanoi. Remember a few months ago, it was ruled that no one under four feet tall could operate a motorbike? The uproar was instantaneous, and the law was recinded. Could it be that the major players in the ESL feild, and the Uni's, might just raise a stink too? Can the schools get by with VN teachers? I don't think so. To be clear: Backpackers should not be teaching English in this country if they have no credentials, and they do very little to deserve the respect that the VN give to teachers. In my opinion, they should be asked to either cough-up the sweet docs or quit teaching. That is the problem the government is trying to address, unfortunately they are using a club instead of a scalpel.
On another front....I work for a large school in D-3, they have had my docs for a year now. They have said nothing about whether they've procured a WP for me. I've been working 20-30 hours a week since I signed with them....And, a few weeks ago they got me a 3 month multiple entry tourist visa. (Okay, I was two months late in renewing, I had to pay one million in fines) The school paid the fifty bucks. It took an inordinate amount of time-I think over two weeks, but they got it done. They said without explaination, typical of the VN, Business Visas are not possible....But they got the visa for me. Big school clout.

(Sorry if my spelling ain't up to snuff, I'm typing on the fly)

[inky]

Why is the article scary? I found it to be reassuring.

[vit]

The law, which has been in place for a long time (i.e. we all knew about it) is now being enforced. If you worked here illegally you had a good run, however I don't see that you have much cause for complaint about not being able to work here illegally any more.

@Green Acres, I sincerely hope this isn't your predicament. If you are not working here you do not fall under the jurisdiction of the work permit/business visa requirements. If, however, you do not have another legal basis for long term residency in this country, such as through marriage (and I don't know what, if anything, marriage entitles you to), then I can only suggest that planning to retire here and own property without resident status was a short-sighted retirement plan. That statement is not meant to be offensive, just to point out that people need to accept some responsibility for their current situations.

The fact that the country wants, and is now in a position to demand, that foreign workers be qualified and skilled is to their credit, and so far as ESL is concerned will be a benefit to both teachers and students.

[Mattingly]

[lucreziaborgia]

Reality breaks!

[BenE]

You CAN own a house in VN but you need to hold residency status which in turn requires a work permit or a very good powerful friend.

This whole process is worrying for a lot of people but the process to get a work permit is possible in 2 months if you follow the correct procedure and have a supportive school. Schools that don't support their teachers in that way will have to give better offers to qualified teachers in order to retain their teachers. Schools that don't will probably lose their good teachers and be saddled with those 'fly by night' people who are having to fly in and out of the country.

Personally I think there are some positives to this new crackdown but I understand it's stressful for many people.

[Phinaes Gage]

I don't know where you are getting your information regarding labor unions in Vietnam,

[half moon]

I read Than Nien a lot.

The info on labor unions and prison time can be googled outside of the country.

Perhaps unions are allowed under some strict conditions.

But for many occupations, unions are illegal. Yes, there are people doing time for it. Usual sentence is about 4 years.