My most recent experience at everyone's favourite visa agent
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 6:41 pm
A quick visit to everyone's favourite visa agent on Monivong today - please don't mention the name here, as I have outstanding business with the agency, and they know my face well. I don't want their name appearing in this article if they Google themselves.
As I'm now teaching (in addition to running the social enterprise) it is time to bite the bullet and get a work permit. The social enterprise has never been a paying concern, other than I get to pay other people out of our personal pocket - and hence the need to teach. My school is a small, private concern and is going through registration, and working "closely with immigration officials", however you want to read that. The immigration officials told the school that I should get a WP as a business owner rather than a teacher, as the teaching is a part-time gig. My thoughts are that immigration have a fair idea I bite back, and didn't want to deal with me as part of the school herd. So, off I go to the expats visa agent of choice...
Firstly, I tried for a refund on the driver's license that was never forthcoming, as the system changed. "Oh, we give you $10 back, and you take that $10 to licensing, they give you a license." After asking why I would do that as I'd paid $35 for the license, "Oh, we give you letter, you give licensing. We fill out form for you, you no wait, just one hour." Not a bad day's work for $25. Too hot and tired to argue the point, knowing that this will be the last year the agency will gouge an extra $25 from me (or anybody) for a $10 piece of paper. So ultimately I've still got to drive out to Licensing and put in the effort myself, I've paid the agent not-small money to do a job that I'm going to end up doing - and they've still found a way to keep the dollars in the incestuous agent/government family. And all of that is assuming Licensing will renew my license that expired (by a long shot) while all this change was happening. No longer having a valid "home" driver's license, I hope not.
Back to the work permit. I say, "I have been here x years, but I have not worked for pay and I'm not going to pay for other years - just this year." The blinking eyes and whirring brain mechanism tell me, "Challen accep."
I thought I'd get in a quick salvo of "Immigration is working with my school, they said to apply for WP using my business but if it's too hard or too expensive, go back to them through the school. They said I only pay from now, not for past years."
An almost-giggle, and "Immigration, not care. Charge you every year. You pay fine."
So I comment on Immigration visiting my house twice every year for tea money and telling me I don't need a WP as a business owner who is not paid an income (let's ignore that this agency has told me every year "Not need yet, we tell you when you need"). Almost got a snort of derision, until I said "Immigration officer? Hab name and number." Confusion on face. We move on to "You pay me now $190 I get you WP for this year and next year, end 31/12." Writes down 31/12/2018 for emphasis. I consider it. "Okay."
She then moves on to "But immigration, they maybe want to charge you for all years, they no care you work or ot. If they come back, you pay me cash, you pay only half."
I wanted clarification. "What?"
"You pay half for all years, but no receipt." About now I started suspecting a scam. I know, right? Who'd have thought it?
"Why would I give you half but no receipt? What would stop Immigration from coming back to me for all, again?"
"Oh, I give you plastic card. Then Immigration, cannot."
I think we've all drunk the Koolaid from this company so long we lose sight of how much rorting actually goes on, and just adopt the defeatist "it is what it is" line. For years (well, forever) it's been "rape and pillage for as much as you can get", and now the systems are changing it's go for one last raid.
As I'm now teaching (in addition to running the social enterprise) it is time to bite the bullet and get a work permit. The social enterprise has never been a paying concern, other than I get to pay other people out of our personal pocket - and hence the need to teach. My school is a small, private concern and is going through registration, and working "closely with immigration officials", however you want to read that. The immigration officials told the school that I should get a WP as a business owner rather than a teacher, as the teaching is a part-time gig. My thoughts are that immigration have a fair idea I bite back, and didn't want to deal with me as part of the school herd. So, off I go to the expats visa agent of choice...
Firstly, I tried for a refund on the driver's license that was never forthcoming, as the system changed. "Oh, we give you $10 back, and you take that $10 to licensing, they give you a license." After asking why I would do that as I'd paid $35 for the license, "Oh, we give you letter, you give licensing. We fill out form for you, you no wait, just one hour." Not a bad day's work for $25. Too hot and tired to argue the point, knowing that this will be the last year the agency will gouge an extra $25 from me (or anybody) for a $10 piece of paper. So ultimately I've still got to drive out to Licensing and put in the effort myself, I've paid the agent not-small money to do a job that I'm going to end up doing - and they've still found a way to keep the dollars in the incestuous agent/government family. And all of that is assuming Licensing will renew my license that expired (by a long shot) while all this change was happening. No longer having a valid "home" driver's license, I hope not.
Back to the work permit. I say, "I have been here x years, but I have not worked for pay and I'm not going to pay for other years - just this year." The blinking eyes and whirring brain mechanism tell me, "Challen accep."
I thought I'd get in a quick salvo of "Immigration is working with my school, they said to apply for WP using my business but if it's too hard or too expensive, go back to them through the school. They said I only pay from now, not for past years."
An almost-giggle, and "Immigration, not care. Charge you every year. You pay fine."
So I comment on Immigration visiting my house twice every year for tea money and telling me I don't need a WP as a business owner who is not paid an income (let's ignore that this agency has told me every year "Not need yet, we tell you when you need"). Almost got a snort of derision, until I said "Immigration officer? Hab name and number." Confusion on face. We move on to "You pay me now $190 I get you WP for this year and next year, end 31/12." Writes down 31/12/2018 for emphasis. I consider it. "Okay."
She then moves on to "But immigration, they maybe want to charge you for all years, they no care you work or ot. If they come back, you pay me cash, you pay only half."
I wanted clarification. "What?"
"You pay half for all years, but no receipt." About now I started suspecting a scam. I know, right? Who'd have thought it?
"Why would I give you half but no receipt? What would stop Immigration from coming back to me for all, again?"
"Oh, I give you plastic card. Then Immigration, cannot."
I think we've all drunk the Koolaid from this company so long we lose sight of how much rorting actually goes on, and just adopt the defeatist "it is what it is" line. For years (well, forever) it's been "rape and pillage for as much as you can get", and now the systems are changing it's go for one last raid.