An American came to work in Kazakhstan: his passport was taken away and his salary was not paid

A native English speaker who came to Kazakhstan to teach told Hordehow he was deceived by his employer. He was not paid his salary and his documents were not renewed.

Photo: IStock

The problem of deceived foreigners who flew to Kazakhstan to work and were left without a livelihood is quite common. From time to time, such stories arise in large cities of the country. Moreover, the victims are people from different countries and with different financial situations. Here is the story of a teacher from the USA who got a job at one of the language schools and was left without a salary and with expired documents.

The American Dream in the Realities of Kazakhstan

US citizen Theodore James Fuller legally worked in Uzbekistan as an English teacher. When he had a break between contracts, he decided to go to Kazakhstan at the invitation of employees of one of the language schools. Theodore had already been to Kazakhstan before, and he liked the country.

On the subject: Stories of people who have experienced several emigration

In March, he flew to Shymkent and got a job at the Cambridge English School. The employer promised him a salary of $1000 and free accommodation.

According to Theodore, he entered into an agreement with the owner of the organization, but he systematically did not fulfill his obligations. The foreigner was not paid for his work and was not reimbursed for rental expenses, although this was provided for in the contract.

“I was supposed to work until August, but everything turned out differently. The owner of the school did not pay me on time or at all, deceiving me all the time. He was supposed to pay for my apartment and work visa, but he didn’t,” Theodore said.

As Maxim M., a resident of Shymkent, who helped the American sort out his documents and leave the country, said, Theodore exceeded the permissible period of stay in Kazakhstan by 3 months, but through no fault of his own.

“Theo speaks neither Kazakh nor Russian, so I helped him solve issues. He could have legally stayed here for a month, but his employer took his passport, promising to issue him a work visa. Theo believed him, but he did not draw up any documents,” says Maxim.

He added that the foreigner felt something was wrong when the employer did not pay him for the hours he worked and brushed off questions, saying “wait for your salary.” At the same time, the employer kept the American’s passport for several months and refused to return it. To return the document, I had to contact the US Embassy.

“I had to ask the United States Embassy to call him to give me back my passport. I have screenshots on my phone showing this along with embassy emails,” Theodore said.

When Theodore received his passport, he found out that no one had issued a work visa for him, and he had already overstayed his legal stay in Kazakhstan. Then he decided to leave the country, but it turned out to be not so easy. Having found out that he was an illegal immigrant, migration officers went to court. The foreigner was fined just over $170 and ordered to leave Kazakhstan.

“I tried to leave the country, but the police refused to issue documents. I just wanted to pay the fine I owe and leave, but to no avail. The police constantly refused to let me write the necessary report. I asked to be given the opportunity to pay a fine and leave Kazakhstan,” he says.

Like the article? Support ForumDaily!?

Even with a court decision in hand on the need to leave the country, Theodore could not do this for some time - he was not given documents to leave.

“After the trial, he was not immediately able to obtain travel documents; the migration service did not want to give them even with a court decision. I guess they were hinting at a bribe, but he didn't understand what they wanted from him. Only when I went on migration with him did I understand what it was about. They see that he is an American, and let’s use him,” said Maxim.

The return of the passport, the trial, and arguments with the migration service took time, and as a result, the American overstayed his stay in the Republic of Kazakhstan by several months. But he still managed to leave the country in early September. He returned to Uzbekistan and continued teaching - there he was issued a work visa.

“This was probably my last visit to Kazakhstan because of everything that happened,” says Theodore.

Cambridge English School director Yusuf Zhamalov denies any involvement in the problems of a foreign employee. According to him, the salary was paid in full, although there were indeed delays.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants, and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read all this on ForumDaily New York.

“The contract stated that the fee was paid once a month, but Theodore asked to pay him every two weeks. I agreed, but I really wasn’t always on time with the deadlines. But I didn’t deceive him, all the money was paid,” Zhamalov said.

He added that he did not keep the American’s passport with him, and all this time the document was in the migration service.

“Yes, at some point the US Embassy called me and asked me to return his passport. Then I offered Theodore a visa for at least a few weeks, but he refused and demanded that his passport be returned to him. The passport was returned,” he said.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Nine banks where you can get a bonus of up to $25 for a new deposit

IT workers in California rent tiny residential capsules for $500-900 per month

False hope: how social media ads for immigration services are misleading

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.