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A different contract on arrival

CRITICAL

What happens

The contract you negotiated and signed from abroad is not the contract you are handed when you land. A new 'in person' version appears with worse pay, longer hours or new duties. You are already in the country, with a visa tied to that employer.

✅ How to protect yourself

Insist the signed contract is the operative one and any amendments need written agreement. Photograph and keep every version, and note that verbal promises are not a contract.

Real cases (1)

chinalifer/chinalife · 2026
the contract they sent me was really reasonable so I gave it the okay and packed up my life to move here. However upon arriving they gave me an "in person contract" to sign with a bunch of changes to my payment structure, work responsibilities my working hours.

Poster had already moved to China on a Z visa. They were given a list of things to 'discuss next week' while already doing the work.

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Built from public teacher discussions. Every figure shows its sample size.
Not legal advice · sourced from self-reported forum posts · contract check tool