Visa Renewal

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Not entirely correct.. mine was a tourist visa when I arrived.. sponsored no problem at all.

Was it it your girlfriend, or your wife? I'm not saying it didn't happen, but under Vietnamese law only a travel agency or tour operator is supposed to be able to sponsor a tourist (DL) visa.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Its possible to get a partner (GF / Wife) to sponsor you... then no need for embassy visit.

Are you sure about the girlfriend?

My wife sponsors me.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Not entirely correct.. mine was a tourist visa when I arrived.. sponsored no problem at all.

Sponsored you for a one month extension, ok, or for a three months extension ?

cruisemonkey wrote:

... but under Vietnamese law only a travel agency or tour operator is supposed to be able to sponsor a tourist (DL) visa.

Just curious but can anyone name another country where people go to private third parties for visas and extension stamps?  If there are other countries that have a similar setup, is it mandatory that one go through the private parties rather than deal directly with government agencies.?  The whole setup seems custom designed for corruption.

THIGV wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

... but under Vietnamese law only a travel agency or tour operator is supposed to be able to sponsor a tourist (DL) visa.

Just curious but can anyone name another country where people go to private third parties for visas and extension stamps?  If there are other countries that have a similar setup, is it mandatory that one go through the private parties rather than deal directly with government agencies.?  The whole setup seems custom designed for corruption.

I imagine this was born of at least two necessities:

1. Employment and small business opportunities for Vietnamese citizens.

It's worth noting that they don't approve anything.

They are merely Certified by the government as an authorized agent to process the paperwork.

The worst thing I keep witnessing is agents who misrepresent themselves as the official government immigration portal through their websites.

2. Language barrier:

The immigration department would normally be saddled with providing customer service for visitors and immigrants from around the world.

With the current system, an enterprising Vietnamese citizen can choose to become proficient in one or more foreign languages and serve as a basic interpreter and counselor for basic tourism/immigration inquiries.

You may be envisioning a different type of corruption (I know you have concerns about DN Business visas sponsored through the agents' joint business ventures with third parties) but I personally see the greatest risk to be rogue agents who promise the moon to people in vulnerable situations (African continent immigrants come to mind).

My agent in Hanoi specializes in assisting Pakistanis and is very proud of her ability to successfully help them with their needs, legally and at a fair price.

In Korea and China the school did this work.

They seemed to have a variety of visas for different purposes. Most seem job related so your employer would do it for you. Maybe they would hire a lawyer or specialized firm.

I'm pretty sure most countries would require you employer to sponsor you.

Tourists? It seems natural that a tourist company would sponsor you.

Married? It seems natural that if you don't have a job then your spouse would sponsor you. But that assumes the country has a visa for that.

Retired? Country would have to have a visa for that. Might need a lawyer or firm to do the paperwork. You'd probably have to do the legwork.

Girl/boy friends, drinking buddy? Gimme a break!

It is odd that a country would allow repeated continuous tourist visas with proof of income.

IMHO

VietCanada wrote:

In Korea and China the school did this work.

They seemed to have a variety of visas for different purposes. Most seem job related so your employer would do it for you. Maybe they would hire a lawyer or specialized firm.

I'm pretty sure most countries would require you employer to sponsor you.

Tourists? It seems natural that a tourist company would sponsor you.

Married? It seems natural that if you don't have a job then your spouse would sponsor you. But that assumes the country has a visa for that.

Retired? Country would have to have a visa for that. Might need a lawyer or firm to do the paperwork. You'd probably have to do the legwork.

Girl/boy friends, drinking buddy? Gimme a break!

It is odd that a country would allow repeated continuous tourist visas with proof of income.

IMHO

That reminds me:

I'm hoping to visit Russia someday.

There a hotel can be your sponsor.

THIGV wrote:

def1412 wrote:

Just saw this comment.

To avoid double posting like this, never use the back arrow on your browser after you post.  Instead go to the top of the page and hit Vietnam on the forum tree.  Better yet, just leave the site altogether and then come back in.

I know you loathe the use of the "report" system on this site, but when you see that someone has accidentally double posted, you can silently 'report' the second post, adding the reason as "double post", and ADMIN will take care of it.

I hesitated pointing this out to you but then reasoned you would understand as you (in this case) also like to be helpful by pointing out how site features work.

Cheers!

Hello everyone,

Please note that some unnecessary posts were removed from this thread.

Thanks,

Diksha
Team Expat.com