Korean Job Discussion Forums

[penguin]

I'm changing uni jobs at the end of Feb 2007. One contract finishes Feb 28, the other job starts March 1. (No problem about leaving the old job.)

The office bureaucrat at the new uni says I have to get an "exit order" before they can start processing the new E2 visa paperwork. Once they get it they will then get me the new Visa Issuance number and email it to me. I am leaving at the end of this week and not planning to return until mid-February.

My concern is that, by getting the exit order, I will be invalidating my current visa, and therefore technically I'm not able to work at my old job (and therefore voiding the old contract??) My old job could theoretically refuse to pay me for Jan and Feb, and maybe not give all of my severance pay.

Also, if I return in Feb, then I'm potentially visa-less until March 1.

This seems completely ridiculous to me. From what i understand, if you are just going from one job to another with no overlap, no such thing is required. (In fact you can now do it in Korea - see: http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=73186 ) The office guy won't back down and says it's a "new law". Has anyone recently changed uni jobs, or is in the process of doing so? What documents did you need (besides transcripts etc.)?

[sock]

I just did this a few weeks ago. I don't think it depends on whether or not it's a university job, but what kind of visa it is. If you are on an E-2 currently and you want to continue on an E-2 in your next contract, then this information would apply. If it's an E-7 or anything but an E-2, I don't know what the rules are, and you can ignore the rest of this post.

I think what you need is not an exit order, but a letter from your employer stating that your contract will end on (Feb 28) date, that you will not be extending your contract with your current employer, and are thus free to seek other employment as of (Mar 1) date.

If you come back to Korea a week or two prior to your current contract and visa expiring, immigration should have enough time to process everything (provided you have all the documents you need). Before you leave the country (this week) you must have a single-reentry permit or a prior (as in, still valid) multiple re-entry permit, as I'm sure you already know.

And by the way, you don't need to leave the country for the new visa--NO visa run--and you don't need to receive a visa issuance number. Instead you'll pay like 150,000 won to alter several things on your current visa: extend the visa, change your place of employment, add an additional place of employment, get a new single or multiple-reentry permit, change your residence address, etc. These may not all apply, I don't know all the particular details of your situation--but you will get charged for anything and everything that does apply to you.

When you go to the immigration office to apply for the above alterations to your current visa, you will need the following: a letter from your school stating that they're okay with your new job, a contract from your new school, your passport and ARC, and the standard visa form that you fill out, the one that's available at the immigration office. Oh, and passport pictures for the form, and plenty of money.

I also brought a copy of my diploma and 2 sealed transcripts. Don't remember for certain but I think they kept the copy of the diploma and one of the transcripts. I believe that technically they don't need them, because you're extending your current visa--and to get that, you already had to submit those documents. But I'm not sure on that, better to be safe than sorry. Immigration will stamp your passport, update the back of your ARC, and you can pick it up or have it mailed to you in about a week.

Sometimes you just need to keep talking to different immigration officers. It took me a few times to find someone who knew what I needed to do. I will say that if you know what you need to do, and you go in with an attitude of TELLING them, "okay, here's what I need to do..." (as opposed to ASKING them for help and to outline the details of the process) they seem to be able to respond much more competently. Anyway, that was my experience.

Good luck.

[penguin]

Thanks for your advice!!!