A foreign executive in China signed a contract without a work permit — making it legally invalid. Yet, after a court ruling, he still received 450,000 yuan in wages and compensation. How did an “illegal hire” end up winning big?
一名在中国的外国高管在没有工作许可的情况下签订了合同，导致合同在法律上无效。然而，经过法院裁决，他仍然获得了45万元的工资和赔偿。一个“非法雇佣”的人是如何赢得这场官司的呢？
On November 24, a court in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, released a notable case involving the employment of a foreign national in China. The ruling clarifies how compensation should be handled when a foreign employee’s labor contract is deemed invalid due to improper work authorization.
2023年11月24日，江苏省苏州市的一家法院公布了一起涉及在中国雇佣外国人的典型案例。该裁决阐明了当外国员工的劳动合同因工作授权不当而被认定为无效时，应如何处理赔偿问题。
Case Background
案件背景
In March 2014, a Turkish citizen, identified as T, signed a labor contract with a domestic company, A Co., to serve as its general manager. The contract set a monthly salary of RMB 70,000 and included benefits such as two round-trip tickets home annually and a housing allowance. However, after T assumed the role, the company failed to secure the legally required employment permit for him.
2014年3月，一名土耳其公民（以下简称T）与一家国内公司（以下简称A公司）签订了一份劳动合同，担任该公司的总经理。合同规定月薪为7万元人民币，并包括每年两次往返家乡的机票和住房补贴等福利。然而，在T担任该职位后，公司未能为他获得法律要求的就业许可。
On April 20, 2015, A Co. unilaterally issued a “Certificate of Dismissal and Termination of Labor Contract,” ending the employment relationship. At the same time, T submitted another document — a “Unilateral Termination Compensation Agreement” — stamped with the company’s official seal, financial seal, and legal representative’s seal. This agreement stated that A Co. would pay T 450,000 yuan, equivalent to 4.5 months of salary (including 1.5 months of unpaid wages from March 8 to April 20), and cover 15,000 yuan in airfare for his return home.
2015年4月20日，A公司单方面出具了一份“解除劳动合同证明书”，终止了雇佣关系。与此同时，T提交了另一份文件——一份盖有公司公章、财务章和法定代表人印章的“单方面解除赔偿协议”。该协议规定A公司将支付T45万元人民币，相当于4.5个月的工资（包括从3月8日至4月20日未支付的1.5个月工资），并承担1.5万元的回国机票费用。
A Co. acknowledged the authenticity of the dismissal certificate but contested the validity of the compensation agreement, arguing that despite the company seals, it lacked personal confirmation and should therefore be deemed invalid.
A公司承认了解雇证明书的真实性，但对赔偿协议的有效性提出异议，认为尽管有公司印章，但缺乏个人确认，因此应被视为无效。
Court Ruling
法院裁决
After reviewing the case, the court found that under Article 5 of China’s Regulations on the Administration of Employment of Foreigners, employers must obtain employment approval and an Employment Permit before hiring a foreign national. If a foreigner is employed without these mandatory documents, any labor contract signed is considered invalid.
在审查此案后，法院发现，根据中国《外国人就业管理条例》第5条，雇主在雇佣外国人之前必须获得就业批准和就业许可。如果在没有这些强制性文件的情况下雇佣外国人，签订的任何劳动合同都被视为无效。
Because T and A Co. executed the contract without the required permit, the agreement violated mandatory legal provisions and was therefore ruled invalid.
由于T和A公司在没有所需许可的情况下签订了合同，该协议违反了强制性法律规定，因此被判定无效。
Based on this determination, the court held:
基于这一认定，法院认为：
1. Labor remuneration must be paid
1.必须支付劳动报酬
Even when a labor contract is invalid, an employer must compensate a worker for labor already provided. Since A Co. acknowledged T’s wage claim and agreed to payment, the court upheld this portion of the claim.
即使劳动合同无效，雇主也必须补偿已经提供的劳动。由于A公司承认了T的工资要求并同意支付，法院支持了这一部分索赔。
2. Statutory economic compensation is not applicable
2.不适用法定经济补偿
Because the labor contract was invalid from the outset, T was not entitled to statutory severance or non-competition compensation under the Labor Contract Law. The court rejected these claims due to lack of legal basis.
由于劳动合同从一开始就是无效的，T无权根据《劳动合同法》获得法定的遣散费或竞业禁止补偿。法院因缺乏法律依据而驳回了这些索赔。
3. Employer bears liability for fault
3.雇主承担过错责任
Obtaining a work permit for a foreign employee is the employer’s legal obligation. A Co.’s failure to fulfill this duty caused the contract’s invalidity, and it must bear responsibility for resulting losses.
为外国员工获得工作许可是雇主的法定义务。A公司未能履行这一职责导致了合同的无效，必须承担由此产生的损失责任。
The company did not provide evidence to prove its seal-management protocols or show that T improperly controlled the company seals. As a result, the court accepted the stamped compensation agreement as proof of T’s losses.
公司没有提供证据证明其印章管理程序，也没有证明T不当控制了公司印章。因此，法院接受了盖章的赔偿协议作为T损失的证据。
The court ruled that A Co. must pay the full 450,000 yuan in overdue wages and compensation, as stated in the agreement, along with 15,000 yuan for airfare.
法院裁定A公司必须按照协议支付全部45万元的逾期工资和赔偿金，以及1.5万元的机票费用。
Both parties appealed, but the appellate court dismissed the appeals and upheld the original judgment.
双方均提出上诉，但上诉法院驳回了上诉并维持了原判。