| by Mr Credit Card |
We just had this email from another reader:
I have several credit cards with balances on them here in the US. I am about to be transfered back to the UK for work (I am from the UK, not a US citizen), and so will not be using my US issued CC’s again. If I do not pay them off, do you know if the companies (visa and mastercard) will try to retrieve the money once they realise I am not intending to repay it? I know if will ding my credit score here in the US, but I don’t care about that.
John Mathews
Answers – John – let’s go over the procedure of what happens when you stop paying your credit card bills.
Disclaimer : This is not legal advice but just our opinions.
John, since you are leaving the country, I doubt that the creditors will come after you. They certainly cannot call you! They won’t be able to track you down. But if you ever get sued, you would need proper legal advice especially if you are out of the country.
But here’s the issue I have with the email you sent us. You did not say anyway that you are in financial trouble. All you said is that you are from the UK and your company has sent you back. So presumably, you have a job. If you have a job, and are financially capable of paying off your credit card bill, then please pay it off. Society runs based on a certain level of trust. If every foreign worker were to leave and just not pay their credit card bills, then credit card issuers will never issuer to them at all? If you are capable of paying off your debt, then please do so. It is the proper thing to do.
If you have lost your job and are relocated back and have financial difficulty, then that is another issuer altogether.
Oh and one more thing: if there is ever a judgement against you, you may have to disclose that if you ever want to work here again.
Here is another email from a reader with a similar situation:
I am from Pakistan, i was working for an insurance company, the company layoff more then 1000+ emp, i am 1 of them, this was last year dec 2008. i am planning to go back to my country, i actually owe more then $30,000, i cannot pay off every thing coz i only have $2500 in my bank, i am really in a very bad status, i have been trying to find a job for past 6 months. i have 2 daughter & 2 sons back home, i am not able to feed them or my self, so i want to go back to my country & try to find some work there. so what can i do about the credit card debt. what happens if i don’t pay? can they hold me in Pakistan… or if i pay very slow with that affect my status. coz $30000 is a lot. please help me to find a way out of this debt.
kevin khan
Answer: Kevin – for your situation, I would consult an immigration attorney. I doubt you will ever be asked to leave this country or have your status affected if you do not pay your credit card bills or even if you file for bankruptcy.
I also doubt if you can ever be arrested in Pakistan if you do not pay your credit card bills here. You won’t get arrested here though you will certainly be harassed by tons of collection agencies!
But look, you have $30,000 in debt and only $2500 in savings. You just cannot afford to pay them. Simple as that. Question for you is do you ever intend to come back here and work? If you do, then you’d better consult your immigration attorney on how your financial situation may impact your ability to get a Visa down the road.
Best of luck to you.
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June 11th, 2009 at 07:51
Although you have the same credit beaureas between the UK and the US (i.e. experian etc), credit does not appear to travel with you. I say this as a British expat living in America. I had a great credit rating in the UK, but had to build one once I got to the US. I have read of many people having frustration with this. Theoretically the same should be true in this chaps situation. However, I would also question his ethics, especially as it effects others who live as expats, and perhaps him if he ever decides he wants to work or perhaps even travel in the US again. I wouldn’t want to get off an airplane in the US if I have evaded a debt, you never know what may follow you. (Orange jumpsuit anybody!)
October 5th, 2009 at 06:34
Recently Amex has recently cancelled my business line of credit. I continue to pay the monthly bill even though the business has been sold. I receive income from the sold business with which to pay the bill. I am retired and Amex has increased the interest rate so that instead of 300/month interest, it is now 600. I cannot afford to pay this. I have tried to discuss this with them to no avail. Can they pursue me in Mexico? This is not a decision I take lightly, but I don’t have the extra money. I understand that the interest rate was variable, but I can’t afford it. I can continue to pay, but it must be at the old rate and they say NO. I really do believe that credit card companies are creating many of the nonpayment issues by raising the rates arbitrarily.
July 26th, 2010 at 12:33
hi, I have similar problem with john.. im not a us citizen and worked in the us for a couple of years,,, had a credit card debt of about $500… (i know its tiny but it just bothers me) and i left the country coz my visa had expired at that time (about 3 years go)..
but the thing is this,,, my colleague has juz recently opened a business in chicago and ask me to help him out…
the question is,,, what’s gonna happen if i were to apply for the visa,, and if i ever got one,,, will they stop me in the airport’s immigration and put me in jail..?
thanks~~
August 18th, 2010 at 20:22
dear sir hi and pls if u can help with my situation i lived in saud arabia and suddenly my saudi sponser did not pay us for a year and i was using my gredit cards there and then i could not pay them when i returned to lebanon so what could happen thank you
November 18th, 2010 at 09:00
I have a question as well. I have about $40,000 owing on credit cards here in the US. I have been unemployed and looking for work for the past 2 years, and have been unsuccessful. The last company I worked for didn’t pay me and just disappeared. I am a Canadian Citizen and Legal Alien in the US. I have been struggling to pay off this debt and was managing from savings. However they are depleted and I still have no job. My mother is very ill and my sister has terminal cancer. They need my help so I am going back to Canada to care for them. Can the American Credit Card Companies sue me in another country if I find I cannot pay the debt, especially with the increased interest rate?
December 9th, 2010 at 10:45
Hi, I have a similar question. My visa expires Dec 13th and my company isn’t renewing it. Thus, I have no job and no visa. I am leaving the country as required by immigration. However, I have credit card debts and a car finance loan to pay. I can pay off the debts but I have had to borrow money from my family in the UK to pay for all the moving/shipping costs and a tax bill I also received. I have absolutely no savings whatsoever and, once I get back to the UK, no job there either and will have to live with family. What will happen when I tell the car finance company that I will have to surrender the car? I had a bad accident in it last year which is on the carfax so no-one will touch it with a barge-pole and the finance company will get a lot less than it’s worth at auction. It will leave me with approximately $7k that I will owe. As I said I have absolutely no savings whatsover. Will I be followed back to the UK? Will I have a problem coming back to the US just to visit friends? Thanks for help people…
May 23rd, 2011 at 00:44
All your advices are very helpful? But I have a different case that i need to ask for advices, Pls help me? This is my case..I have credit cards debt in singapore approximately 60K singapore dollars, I left singapore last 2009 due to company restructuring ( i was retrenched by the company) . I’m in Philippines right now and until now still unemployed.? What happened if I will go back to Spore to work? And what happen if will arrive in Spore Airport, will the immigration officer will arrest me? I have also other option to work in other country, Is it recorded to other country ?Pls HELP
September 12th, 2011 at 16:30
Freddie and Alex.
I have the same situation. But you need to be educated well, meaning, know the law before you react or overreact. The best way of course is to settle, telling the banks that you can only afford this much of payment every month. They should have no choice but to accept it. It will be good if you hire people who can help you with debt settlement.
Having said that, you may be in situation where you can not really pay whatsoever. So if you go back to Phils, there is no way they can extradite you to Singapore!!!! It only applies to criminal cases, but very specific crimes – like murder, money launderding, etc.
But remember though, just dont go back there especially to work as you will be probably declared bankrupt in singapore. goodluck