NEW VIETNAM IMMIGRATION LAW EFFECTS ON JANUARY 2015
A new Vietnam Immigration law effects on January 1, 2015. This is an evidence of Vietnam’s efforts to establish entry and exit policies that provide more clarity to employers and foreign nationals. The full impact of the new law will depend on how it is ultimately implemented. Following are the key changes in this new immigration law:
1/ New Structure Of Visa Types And Durations:
Under the upcoming system, foreign nationals will apply for a visa based on their occupation or intended travel purpose, with distinct visa categories for occupations such as investors, lawyers, or journalists. Each visa classification will have its own maximum duration period ranging from 30 days to five years. The new structure will increase the number of immigration categories from four general groups to twenty specific visa classifications.
The full impact of the new visa structure will not be known until implementation details are released by the Vietnamese government. The change is intended to give visa applicants and sponsors greater clarity regarding permissible activities and maximum duration.
2/ Unable To Convert Tourist Visa To Working visa
According to article 7, point 1 of the new law, the purpose of Vietnam visa may not be converted from one purpose to another. For instance, someone entering Vietnam with a tourist visa (DL) may not be able to convert it to a working visa in country (LD)
3/ New Entry And Exit Restrictions:
There will be greater restrictions on entry for individuals with adverse criminal or immigration records from any country. Foreign nationals deported from Vietnam will be banned from entry for three years. Minors under the age of fourteen will not be permitted to enter Vietnam unless traveling with a parent or legal guardian. Foreign nationals will not be permitted to exit Vietnam if they have not fulfilled all tax obligations, are facing criminal charges or administrative sanctions, are serving a criminal sentence, or are a party to any civil, economic, labor, administrative or marriage litigation in Vietnam:
Prohibited conditions for entrance:
- Any person that was deported from Vietnam within the last 03 years;
- Any person that was compelled to leave Vietnam within the last 06 months; - Any person Presenting forging paper or providing false information to obtain entry/exit/residence permit. - A child under 14 years of age traveling without an accompanying parent or custodian; etc Prohibited conditions for exit: A foreigner’s exit will be suspended (up to three years) in the following cases: - His or her tax obligations have yet been fulfilled; - He/she is obliged to comply with an administrative sanction; - He/she has been criminally charged or must serve a criminal sentence; - He/she is a defendant or a person with related rights and obligations in a civil, economic, labor, administrative or marriage litigation case
Have a nice day!
Vietnam Immigration Team
********************************************************************************************************************************************OM TUOI TuOI TRE NEWS
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism have repeatedly called on the government to enact measures to ‘save’ the tourist industry, which has reported declining tourist arrival numbers for 12 months in a row, since May 2014.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved many propositions of the two agencies during a government meeting late last month, bringing about hopes that Vietnam would soon be able to lure back international visitors.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has proposed scrapping visas for countries that are Vietnam’s key tourism markets, or those it has strategic or comprehensive partnerships with, which has secured in-principle approval from the premier.
The countries that are likely to enjoy free-visa rules from Vietnam are the UK, France, Germany and Spain, which have strategic partnerships with Vietnam; and Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the Southeast Asian country’s comprehensive partners, according to newswire Van Hoa (Culture) Online.
“Tourists from these countries will be given a 15-day stay for each entry over five years,” Van Hoa Online quoted VNAT chief Nguyen Anh Tuan as saying.
The visa waivers for the first group of countries are expected to take effect on July 1 this year, and the second group, July 1 next year, according to the VNAT director.
Vietnam currently applies one-sided free-visa rules for seven countries, including Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Russia, and scraps visas for nine Southeast Asian countries including Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Starting next month, Vietnam will also waive visas for tourists from Belarus, according to a resolution the government released earlier this month.
The waiver will be applied within five years, from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2020, with an allowed stay of 15 days for each entry.
Tourists from the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 72 percent of international arrivals to Vietnam, followed by Europe (14 percent) and North America, according to a VNAT survey.
The government approval of the visa waiver proposal is seen by industry insiders as “an invitation to international tourists who love to explore Vietnam,” and a boost to the country’s tourism.
The visa waivers granted to Russia, Japan, and South Korea have indeed paid off, as vacationers from these countries collectively made up 23.6 percent of Vietnam’s tourist arrival numbers in 2014, according to the same VNAT data.
Vietnam scrapped visas for Japan and South Korea in 2004, and the number of holidaymakers from these countries has since increased 2.4 times and 3.6 times, respectively.
The number of Russian tourists visiting Vietnam in 2014 was 7.45 times higher than in 2009, when they began enjoying visa waivers from the country.
Nguyen Huu Tho, chairman of the Vietnam Travel Association, said waiving visas for more countries is inevitable at a time when Vietnam is struggling to compete with other regional tourism destinations.
Hoang Huu Loc, chairman of the board of members of Saigontourist, a leading tour operator in Ho Chi Minh City, said Vietnam should also scrap visas for nations that have non-stop flights to the country.
Free-visa rules will encourage international vacationers to come to Vietnam, and having a non-stop service there is a plus, he said.
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