My contract with a school was expiring on Oct. 11. I called the authorities and was told I needed to leave the country within 10 days. Ok. I took a flight to Hong Kong on the 20th, came back on the 24th. On the way out, they looked at my ARC card, wished me on my way, everything’s fine–coming back in, same thing. I was expecting that it would be expired by now and they would have given me a 30-days entry visa free stamp (I’m American), but no, nothing. I’m still a resident, in their eyes. So, uh, what does this mean?
I assume they are acting on the actual expiration date on your ARC and the database they access has not been updated with new information from the school. Possibly, the school has not reported this. Did your ARC have an expiration date the same as your contract or a different expiration date?
I can’t follow this: “…coming back in, same thing.” Obviously, they could not ‘take your ARC’ coming back in. So what actually happened.? Did you fill out a landing card? Did they not stamp that and staple it in your passport?[/quote]
Jim, I filled out a landing card, under the impressing that my ARC had expired by now, and handed it to the nice lady along with my passport–then she asked for my ARC, looked at it, and handed it back, along with my landing card, telling me, “You don’t need to fill this out.”
I assume they are acting on the actual expiration date on your ARC and the database they access has not been updated with new information from the school. Possibly, the school has not reported this. Did your ARC have an expiration date the same as your contract or a different expiration date?[/quote]
That’s what I would guess. That’s the info I was trying to find out that I couldn’t get a straight answer about, prior to leaving the country…
My contract said Oct. 11, and the immigration folks said: be out within 10 days. So that’s what I did. I’m just trying to figure out–if my ARC expires within the next few days (or has it already happened?) do I still have 30 days from when I re-entered the other day? Or something else?
If you’re employed here, your residence status is tied to your job. If your contract ends and you don’t have a new job lined up, then your residence visa will also end. But it’s not automatic. You school cancles your work permit, which takes about ten days. You are supposed to be mailed a letter telling you that you’ll have to leave.
If the school hasn’t cancled the work permit yet, then your visa hasn’t been cancled yet. Most of us are given multiple re-entry permits with our visas, so you likely left with an as yet still valid visa with re-entry permit still also valid.
At least, that’s my guess.
You are a grown person and it is your responsibility to know for sure what your status is and how to maintain it. You need to call and check to see if your work permit and residence visa are still valid.
so it means his HK trip was a bust as far as getting another 30 days? bummerski
Is it? That’s what I’m trying to figure out…
I think you should have insisted on filling out the landing card by telling them the truth at the airport. You might have had one or two more days before your ARC actually expired. Now you will have to go again, and you might even get a fine for overstay. Get it worked out as soon as possible so your problems don’t get worse! Go to the visa office and tell them exactly what happened and ask for an extension to get things worked out.
You’re supposed to take yourself in to the Immigration Office and hand over your ARC for canceling. I’ve never done this and I doubt many people do. Eventually Immigration will tell the airport staff to ask you to hand over your ARC.
More relevant is what your ARC says. When you called the immigration folks, I suspect they were not looking at your record in the computer to see what it shows, and just took your word for the situation and quoted regulations.
Your ARC will not automatically be canceled prior to the date on it unless your employer files the necessary paperwork with the NIA that you no longer work there. That’s when the clock starts ticking, AFAIK.
When I left one company to work at another (both were on my ARC, but one was being dropped), the NIA called me to tell me they received notice from employer A that I’d quit. Even though I’d already processed the paperwork for employer B, I had to go back to the NIA to show them. Otherwise, I would have been expected to leave.
Very simillar thing happened to me. School did not report my quitting ahead of ARC expiration. I left the country on the last day I was entitled to after quitting, and returned well within the dates marked on my ARC.
Upon my return I attempted to explain that my ARC was no longer valid {try arguing that with an immigration officer while a huge line of people waits behind you}.
Officer checks computer and says “No problem, card is good, you’ll leave again before the date on your card right?”.
Prior to my card expiring I tried to change it to a new employer, whereupon due to my honesty regarding the situation I was given 7 days to leave and comeback to begin new paperwork.
I remember well what the officer said when I pleaded that it was their fault, as I’d already insisted that I shouldn’t be let in on my ARC “We’re not going to talk about that now!”