VNExpress-Feb 21
Dang Dung, who studied at the Japan University of Economics, was shocked to learn he could no longer stay in Japan during a visit for a visa extension. The 24-year-old went to that country in February 2021, learned Japanese and then enrolled in the Japan University of Economics. He was allowed to work part time for a maximum of 28 hours a week, from which he could earn around ¥150,000 (US$1,120) a month. So, he worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Tokyo. But since his parents had to borrow money to cover his tuition and living expenses, he wanted to work more and send some money to them. Through an acquaintance he managed to get a job as a manual worker at a fruit factory and worked another 20 hours a week for VND25-30 million ($1,054-1,265) a month. He was paid in cash and promised his employers not to tell tax authorities about the job and thought “no one would ever know.” But when his visa expired during his freshman year in January this year, he was told he had to leave Japan for working more than the number of hours allowed.
Like Dung, many Vietnamese students in Japan and South Korea are working more than the maximum number of hours allowed or at illegal facilities to earn extra money to cover their expenses and clear tuition debts. But the violations put them at many risks, including of deportation. Read more at:
