As more Nigerians are getting deported from Asian countries, especially China, there is need to educate Nigerians in the country or those wishing to move there on actions and inactions that can lead to deportation. Keep an eye on the following deal-breakers:
Breaking COVID rules
China was the first epicenter of the pandemic and the country isn’t taking things for granted still. Anti-foreigner sentiment has been running high there after immigrants were blamed for bringing back coronavirus cases into the country before China closed its borders to almost all foreigners at the end of March 2021.
In April, the Chinese government announced that it would deport and ban foreigners for up to 10 years if they broke COVID-related rules. This rule is being enforced.
Visa fraud
Two things are worth pointing out here. Firstly, if you are in China with a Z-Visa for a specific place of work and think you can get away with a part-time gig earning some extra cash somewhere else, you better not consider it. Secondly, it is important that you research your employer before you accept a job offer and carefully check the details of your work visa.
You must understand that you need a Z-visa to legally work in China. There are some exceptions, such as working on a “talent visa” or working part-time as a student, but generally you need it. NEVER trust employers who claim you can work on any other kind of visa. They may want to cut corners for their own benefit, but at the end of the day, you will pay for it.
Drug use or dealing drugs
If you’re a foreigner living in China or even just visiting, beware that authorities can carry out drug testing as and when they please. If you test positive for an illicit substance, you are deemed to have broken the law, regardless of where you took said substance and can be deported immediately.
Cannabis can be detected in hair samples for up to 90 days. Let’s say you smoke weed in a country where it’s legal and arrive in China within 90 days. You then, for whatever reason, find yourself subjected to a drugs test. If you test positive, you’ve officially broken the law.
The best thing to do is to avoid any possession, sale, purchase or use of illicit substances prior to your arrival and during your time in China. Also avoid people who use or sell drugs.
Racism
Anti-Chinese racism can get you deported from China. In November 2019, there was the case of an Austrian visual-effects artist Mark A Kolars who referred to Chinese people as “dirty yellow guys.” On LinkedIn, he bragged about what he claimed was the genetic superiority of Europeans over the Chinese. Screenshots of his abhorrent rants went viral on social media prompting an angry reaction from Chinese netizens. He was later fired, had his residence and work permits revoked, and was deported immediately. It didn’t matter that Kolar had been living in China for over a decade before the incident.
- Fighting and domestic violence
Violence and fighting, especially with locals, is another easy way to get deported from China.
In any scenario involving fighting, you could be filmed, and the video could get into the wrong hands. Also, in cases of domestic violence, if the police are called to your apartment for disturbance, you stand the chance of being deported. Don’t fight and avoid anything that would make you hit someone you are living with.
Breaching cybersecurity/national security laws
This is the broadest of all the points because it includes everything from insulting China on social media to espionage. There are several foreigners currently being held in China for undermining the country’s cybersecurity and national security laws.
Because these rules are versatile, they are particularly dangerous for foreigners in China.
Read the full story in Nigeria Abroad
