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LAgyopo
Joined: 06 Apr 2010
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 Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:50 am Post subject: changing from an E2 to and F4 |
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| Does anyone know if we need to notify certain people of our new alien registration number if we go from E2 to F4 while in Korea? I changed my visa and recently realized that my health insurance was not working because it was still linked to my old E2 visa number, all i had to do was go to the nearest insurance office and tell them that the number changed and it was fine but now i'm worried. Do i have to do something about my pension too? like go the the pension office and tell them that my number changed? my boss does not know i changed the visa and i would like to keep it that way. thanks! |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:49 pm Post subject: Re: changing from an E2 to and F4 |
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| LAgyopo wrote: |
| Does anyone know if we need to notify certain people of our new alien registration number if we go from E2 to F4 while in Korea? I changed my visa and recently realized that my health insurance was not working because it was still linked to my old E2 visa number, all i had to do was go to the nearest insurance office and tell them that the number changed and it was fine but now i'm worried. Do i have to do something about my pension too? like go the the pension office and tell them that my number changed? my boss does not know i changed the visa and i would like to keep it that way. thanks! |
Yep, you have to notify important institutions and people (your workplace, accountant and others). I will say I've had lots of problems ordering stuff online or doing other stuff because of an "unusual" alien registration number.
I remember I canceled a credit card because the system wouldn't recognize my new alien registration number.
Scrub of Asia! |
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LAgyopo
Joined: 06 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:06 am Post subject: pension... |
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| so i have to go to the pension office and let them know my number changed, does it make a difference that its been almost 6 months since i changed it and i didn't let them know? and if i notify them of the change do i also have to notify my employer? that in itself could cause problems for me... |
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kuno808
Joined: 17 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:14 am Post subject: |
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hey all,
i have a question and was hoping someone could help me. i was told that as a korean-american, i was not allowed an F4 Visa because i neglected to renounce (denounce) my korean citizenship. i was born in the US so i have my US citizenship but my parents were in the process of getting their US citizenship as the time i was born so i got slapped with the korean citizenship tag. we didn't know that i had to give it up prior to me turning 18. my parents are retired in korea and i want to move their to be a little closer but after months of research and numerous visits to the Seattle Korean Consulate, my situation still stands.
i am currently in Tokyo working for my seattle company which we have an office here. my company also has an office in korea. ok, so my question is, i am allowed to get a intra-company visa (D-7) without the risk of having to serve in the korean military? will my visa protect me from going? i am having some friends inquire about this but i thought maybe someone would be in the same boat as me. any information would be great appreciated! thanks in advance! |
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friesfish
Joined: 21 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:24 am Post subject: to kuno808　頑張れ&a |
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| Quote: |
| i a was told that as a korean-american, i was not allowed an F4 Visa because i neglected to renounce (denounce) my korean citizenship. i was born in the US so i have my US citizenship but my parents were in the process of getting their US citizenship as the time i was born so i got slapped with the korean citizenship tag. |
Hey there. I worked in Korea before on an E-2 visa through my US Passport. I was in a similar situation as you because my name was on the hojuk (family register) and I didn't even know about it until after I went to Korea. I never lived in Korea and never went by the Korean name on the hojuk nor have I used or done anything associated with that name. During the time I was on an E-2 visa, there was no connection between the name on my US Passport and the name on the hojuk and I was legally treated the same way as any other foreigner under the same visa status. I worked in Korea for a year without a hitch.
Since you only have a US passport I'm assuming, if you go into the country that way and the government is never led to see the connection between your name on the US passport and the name on the family register in Korea, you should be fine. But from reading about your situation, it seems that if they were ever to check up on you, you'd definitely be in a grey area and could be at risk of being pulled into the military for service, so I'd be careful about that.
For me, I eventually decided to get my name taken off of the hojuk and change my visa status. I decided to risk it and went directly to the Korean Supreme Court to present my case. In the end, apparently the only thing that allowed my exemption was the fact that when I was born my parents had already become naturalized American citizens. This seems to be a major factor in having my name struck from the record. Also, they made sure that my parent's Korean citizenship had also been renounced and they asked if they were residing in Korea or overseas.
There is no real cut-and-dry explanation for the government's decision to hand out F-4 visas in this kind of situation as far as I can tell. I think the basic idea is though, that if it appears your parents went to live abroad in order to try and exempt their children from military service, the government will shout 'foul play' and force you into the military. Especially if your name is on the hojuk, because it shows your parents' or grandparents' intent to give you Korean citizenship.
You mentioned that your parents returned to Korea to retire, and it could lead the government into thinking that they never really had the intent to leave Korea and were just trying to reap the legal benefits for you, even if that is not the case. It could be problematic.
So, basically what I'm saying is that if you go to Korea under a D-7 visa with your US passport, I'd assume that would go under the radar and there'd be no problems. However, if you ever mentioned that your name was on the hojuk at a government office or applied for an F-4 visa, or if someone were to report you for some reason, you'd most likely go under the government microscope and at that point the decision of whether or not you are liable for military service would be decided by the Korean Supreme Court.
Again, I'm no expert and I can only provide information about what I've learned through my own experience. Unfortunately I'm not a government official so I can't guarantee that anything I've written will still hold true for you if you decide to enter Korea.
Good luck with it! |
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madkisso
Joined: 16 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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Hi all,
Just got my F-4 visa last week (took a day, well, would have taken less than a day but we got there when it was close to closing) and wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone else.
I live in Arizona so my mom and I drove down to the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles. My mom was/is my link to the F-4 visa as she was born in Korea and naturalized when she was about 13 (adopted by a family in the US). We were super worried because we had a bit of a complicated situation. Not only was my mom adopted by a family in the US, but before she came here, she was adopted by a different family in Korea. So her name was different on all the docs we had. Her Korean name on her family registry was different from her Korean name on her US Naturalization papers and her english name on the US naturalization papers were different from her current name (married). We decided to go down there anyway to see what we could do.
When we arrived, the first lady was a bit short with us saying that in addition to her family registry, we needed my mom's birth certificate. Yes, even after reading all 11 pages of this thread, I still didn't know these two docs were different. Still not sure I quite understand the difference. Anyways, we were persistent and got to speak to another lady. As a side note, if you are going to the consulate in LA, I recommend being able to speak Korean. I don't speak korean and I guarantee you that if my korean-speaking mother had not accompanied me and done all of the talking, I would not have my visa right now. Yes, the people there do speak english but if you have an iffy situation that you want to explain, you really need to do so in Korean. My mom explained her situation and after lots of talking, all she had to do was fill out a doc to renounce her Korean Citizenship. From me, all they needed was my passport, the visa application with a passport-sized photo, and the $45 fee.
It's a long story to basically confirm what someone said earlier in this thread: though there are technically certain docs that are required, it all depends on the person that helps you. All we ended up needing were the following docs: my mom's family registry and US naturalization papers and my passport, passport-sized photo, visa application and money. Though this worked for me, probably wouldn't recommend it. I was a bit stressed worrying about what would happen. |
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yik101
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:21 pm Post subject: Update August 6, 2010 |
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Hello everyone, hope you're staying cool in this extremely warm weather.
Well, I just spoke with the Immigration Contact Center in Seoul, telephone number 1345 and they told me why I can not obtain a F4 visa. (1) When I was born, my father had to report my birth to the Korean government. In my case, no mention of my birth was made to the Korean government. (2.) By my 18th birthday, if my birth was reported and my name was on the family registry in Korea, I could have chosen to obtain full Korean citizenship, meaning I would of had to serve the military. Now this applies only to my circumstances. The representative was very kind and explained everything very thoroughly. So if you're in Korea call 1345 before you make any trips to your local immigration office. And for everyone else outside of Korea, please verify if your name is on the family registry-it appears that this registry deal is the most important part in obtaining the F4 visa. Thanks for your time and best wishe |
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fullcollapseCA
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Location: Cheongju-@ a Hagwon
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 1:48 am Post subject: Re: to kuno808　頑張Ӛ |
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| friesfish wrote: |
| Quote: |
| i a was told that as a korean-american, i was not allowed an F4 Visa because i neglected to renounce (denounce) my korean citizenship. i was born in the US so i have my US citizenship but my parents were in the process of getting their US citizenship as the time i was born so i got slapped with the korean citizenship tag. |
Hey there. I worked in Korea before on an E-2 visa through my US Passport. I was in a similar situation as you because my name was on the hojuk (family register) and I didn't even know about it until after I went to Korea. I never lived in Korea and never went by the Korean name on the hojuk nor have I used or done anything associated with that name. During the time I was on an E-2 visa, there was no connection between the name on my US Passport and the name on the hojuk and I was legally treated the same way as any other foreigner under the same visa status. I worked in Korea for a year without a hitch.
Since you only have a US passport I'm assuming, if you go into the country that way and the government is never led to see the connection between your name on the US passport and the name on the family register in Korea, you should be fine. But from reading about your situation, it seems that if they were ever to check up on you, you'd definitely be in a grey area and could be at risk of being pulled into the military for service, so I'd be careful about that.
For me, I eventually decided to get my name taken off of the hojuk and change my visa status. I decided to risk it and went directly to the Korean Supreme Court to present my case. In the end, apparently the only thing that allowed my exemption was the fact that when I was born my parents had already become naturalized American citizens. This seems to be a major factor in having my name struck from the record. Also, they made sure that my parent's Korean citizenship had also been renounced and they asked if they were residing in Korea or overseas.
There is no real cut-and-dry explanation for the government's decision to hand out F-4 visas in this kind of situation as far as I can tell. I think the basic idea is though, that if it appears your parents went to live abroad in order to try and exempt their children from military service, the government will shout 'foul play' and force you into the military. Especially if your name is on the hojuk, because it shows your parents' or grandparents' intent to give you Korean citizenship.
You mentioned that your parents returned to Korea to retire, and it could lead the government into thinking that they never really had the intent to leave Korea and were just trying to reap the legal benefits for you, even if that is not the case. It could be problematic.
So, basically what I'm saying is that if you go to Korea under a D-7 visa with your US passport, I'd assume that would go under the radar and there'd be no problems. However, if you ever mentioned that your name was on the hojuk at a government office or applied for an F-4 visa, or if someone were to report you for some reason, you'd most likely go under the government microscope and at that point the decision of whether or not you are liable for military service would be decided by the Korean Supreme Court.
Again, I'm no expert and I can only provide information about what I've learned through my own experience. Unfortunately I'm not a government official so I can't guarantee that anything I've written will still hold true for you if you decide to enter Korea.
Good luck with it! |
I just read your comment and I was wondering if you could help me out in my situation.
I was born and raised in California but had dual Korean citizenship right before I turned 18. I was hoping to sign up for an F-4 Visa but my parents havent given up their korean citizenship.
Will I have problems with an E-2 Visa?
Can I sign up for an F4 visa without my parents papers and just submit proof of previous Korean Citizenship and Proof of renouncing my Korean citizenship before turning 18?
This would really help!
Also, my parents received US citizenship through naturalization after I was born and we all lived in America before I was born |
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daewing
Joined: 16 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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When can you renew your F-4 visa?
I have six months left on it.... can I renew it now or do I have to wait until there is one month left before renewing it?
The reason is I'm trying to get a phone and there is a big confusion as to whether I need to have more than 2 years left on my F-4 for me to be eligible to buy a phone.
thanks! |
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JDjoneswv
Joined: 09 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:42 pm Post subject: half-korean, does not know mother |
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| I read through the site but did not find a question similar. My wife is half korean, her mother is korean, father american. They divorced when she was very young. She was born in an american military base in Yongson, Seoul. After they divorced, she had never been in contact with her mother or her family. We are looking into an f-4 but apparently you need to be on the hojuk for you to get the visa status? Her father is pretty sure she is not on the hojuk. Is there any way for her to get the f4 status? |
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JDjoneswv
Joined: 09 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:26 am Post subject: wow |
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| wow, I am a thread killer |
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Anom
Joined: 03 Oct 2010
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| Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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I went in to Seoul Immigration office on a Monday in September 2010 with:
* Dad's family registry which includes my mom. I am not on it.
* Original birth certificate
* US Passport
* Seoul mailing address
* 2 copies of a color photo of self
* 60,000 won
I went back that same week on a Friday and walked out with:
* US Passport with visa sticker
* Alien registration card
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I'm a female and US citizen by birth. I was actually really nervous about going in because my parents are and were not American citizens. Technically, I had thought I was not able to get an F4. But... the official didn't seem to care [I had even brought in copies of my mom's ID and Alien Registration Card]. She quickly typed some stuff, made copies, accepted my application with the revenue stamps, and handed me a piece of paper that instructed me to come pick up my passport that same Friday.
I can speak Korean fluently but was advised by a friend not to. There were some people in line ahead of me who I thought had the same documents [if not more] than I did. I'm not sure what their situation was but they were given a hard time and told, in Korean, that they need more documents. I'm wondering if speaking in Korean worked against them.
I think best thing to do is to take in the documents requested and see what happens. I know it is not very good advice or very reassuring but really I think there is no way to know without going in there and trying. Only the officials can give you a definite answer [and even then it seemed there were different responses].
Good luck everyone. |
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Keewuh
Joined: 03 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:11 am Post subject: |
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@arice05
I know this topic thread is on the older side. I'm an adopted Korean who doesn't know the names of my birth parents, and I want to teach in Korea. I want to get the F-4 visa here in the States (I would be going to the NYC consulate), and I was wondering if GOA'L still helped with the process in the States as well.
I'm ... clueless as to what adoption agency, how to get the information, a family registry.......? I don't think I would be registered, seeing as I don't really belong to any family in Korea. :\ Confused. |
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Choman10
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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Hello,
Hate to add on to the mess, especially since this topic is old, but I'm pretty confused. Right now I'm on an E2 but I plan on changing within a couple of months if possible. Both my parents were Korean citizens, but they got their US citizenship before I was born. They never renounced their Korean citizenship, and my name is not on the family register according to my parents. I do plan on going to the Seoul immigration office in Janurary, but can anyone tell me right now if they know if I am eligable for an F4? Also This is what I plan on bringing, tell me if I'm missing anything:
-Visa form
-Family registry (*Should I try to get my dad's side? or my mom's side? or both?*)
-Birth Certificate
-Passport
-2 color photos |
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JDjoneswv
Joined: 09 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 5:40 pm Post subject: Phone number |
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I can't find an immigration phone number that actually words. I keep getting busy signals or this phone line is disconnected. I am just going to call and ask them about my wifes situation but I need the correct number.
Anyone got it?  |
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