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Lianne
Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 1
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Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2003 4:49 am Post subject: HELPPPPPPPPPP! |
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I have a friend teaching English in China. He is not having the best of experiences, so I am asking for advice on his behalf. The first school he worked for (who failed to change his tourist visa over to a Z visa, unbeknown to him)didn't pay regularly enough for survival. He started work today at a University but prior to this he was held by the police for overstaying his visa (which he thought had been taken care of...)and the police confiscated his passport. After signing a document saying he would pay a fine (money lent to him in advance from new employer) he was released into care of new employer. How can he get his passport back? How easy will it be to obtain another from the Australian embassy in Beijing and can he be barred from exiting if he obtains another passport and attempts to fly home? Lots of questions I know but I would appreciate feedback from anyone with similar experience. |
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killian
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 937 Location: fairmont city, illinois, USA
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Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2003 8:39 am Post subject: |
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sounds like it would be good if he paid that fine. with payment of the fine his passport would be returned. would getting a new passport be any use? he still would be short the proper documentation (visa) when he tries to pass through immigration. i haven't worked in the mainland in three years, so i hope someone with more up-to-date info can contribute.
best wishes. |
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xiaoyu
Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 167 Location: China & Montana, USA
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Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2003 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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first things first... he should definately contact his consulate/embassy.... immediately.... and should make sure that his current contract isn't too binding because of the favor the university did for him..... the consulate/embassy should be able to help him get a new passport, and he shouldn't have been able to get a new visa without a passport... so need to figure out how that happened and if it is entirely legal.... he should also talk to the chinese embassy in his country and in china.... if possible he should forewarn other teachers who might be recruited by the school that he had the problem with.... during the entire thing he might want to recruit the services of an international legal consultant.... just to be on the safe side... best of luck to him.... |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138
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Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 12:12 am Post subject: |
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The advice given so far is right on spot!
First: Pay the fine (it is 500 RMB per day, and, if I am well-informed, the maximum fine is 2500 RMB.
Second: Make sure that the police give him a new tourist visa or an extension to the expired visa. That will cost extra, I suppose, but it is cheap. With that new tourist visa, he can stay legally until the relevant procedures have been completed - medical exam followed by an application by his employer to the PSB for a work visa.
The PSB, unfortunately, will have to approve this. So it is in everybody's interest to "be friends". That means, your friend needs to be seen as being "friends" with the authorities!
You may contact the consulate, but they could only interfere if the PSB fail to return your passport, and then it is going to escalate into a minor diplomatic spat!
I wonder, how did your friend fail to check on his status as employee of that other school? Surely he held his passport throughout the whole time? If not: NEVER SURRENDER YOUR PASSPORT - except when the application is going through to the PSB!
GOod luck
Roger |
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