fayz wrote:Quick question what if I’m thinking about leaving my current employer, my visa will be running out soon. What happens if I just let it run out i.e. my 3 year employment visa ends in a few weeks (time flies) what does that actually mean for me? If I simply let it lapse what are the ramifications? Do I have any binds to anything?
I likely won’t let this happen simply because I don’t think it is professional but am curious as to what would happen, anybody care to offer opinions?
Thank you in advance.
I am assuming you would leave the country just before it expires - so that there will be no visa over-stay.
After the expiration of your visa, technically your employment contract will be void/terminated because you will lack capacity to enter into a contract of employment as you would not be legally permitted to work. Thus you either have an employment contract of less than 3 years (as it cannot be longer based on the visa) or a contract without a term (which under the visa would be 3 years max) which is renewable. The employment contract might impose an obligation on your part to renew the visa upon renewal of the contract beyond 3 years but such clause would in itself "drop" upon the expiration of the visa and would be unenforceable by the employer since the contract would have terminated/expired by virtue of the lapse of the visa.
I would argue that at the expiration of 3 years you have no further obligation to the employer and viceversa. Check whether the contract is automatically renewable and whether it imposes an obligation on you to apply for renewal of the visa (again, arguably unenforceable once the visa expires)
Whether or not your Employer will raise hell over it and the "professional" impact on you are another matter.
I would advise that if you are thinking of leaving on the expiration of the visa that you give the requisite notice time per contract which coincides exactly with the expiration of the visa (typically 30 days). This way there is no issue of your "breach" when you come around to collect the unpaid amounts including gratuity, etc.
Anyway, a good question.
Did I mentioned I've been wrong once before!