Two foreign English teachers have been deported from China after it was discovered they were working illegally.

The expat teachers were discovered earlier this month by Chinese authorities and arrested by police in Yangquan, Shanxi. A 59-year-old woman from the USA and a 25-year-old man from Pakistan were sent home from Shanghai Airport on August 15, according to a statement issued yesterday by police. They say the school that employed the two expats did not have the proper certification to hire foreign English teachers.

Without exception, every single English teacher working in China must have a work visa or risk penalties including deportation for violating Chinese regulations. Schools and training centers that illegally employ foreigners can face a fine of up to RMB 100,000. Foreigners caught teaching on a business visa face fines of up to RMB 10,000, along with possible detention and deportation.

In order to forgo a costly certification process that can take up to a year, some schools hire foreign English teachers under the table, falsely telling them they don’t require a work visa.

Harsher regulations have resulted in a decline in the number of available English teachers, raising demand throughout the country.