Korean Job Discussion Forums

FierceInvalid · Joined: 16 Mar 2003

Last Wednesday afternoon, the first day of Chuseok, I was sitting in Incheon airport wondering how everything had gone so totally pear-shaped. I'd been in the airport for only 20 minutes, and in that time had managed to lose my E-2 visa, my ARC, and my tickets to Tokyo. I'd been processed and told to leave the country that day.

I'd arrived early and gone straight to immigration for my re-entry permission. I filled in the form and gave it to the guy with my passport and ARC. He punched me up on the computer and then turned and gave me this classic "You're kidding, right?" face. He informed me, clearly a bit miffed, that I was attempting to get re-entry permission on a visa that had expired almost a month ago. I'd already been in the country too long, he said, and I had to leave right away.

I should have known the expiration date of my own visa of course, but I'd just assumed it came up at the same time as my contract (a couple weeks from now). One year each, and all that. In cruel hindsight, however, I remembered some confusion with contracts/vacation time from last summer that accounted for the discrepancy. Also, since the school sponsors the visa and is responsible for the legality of its teachers, you'd think they'd have known that my visa expired and done something about it. My bad, but I wasn't alone. I was then made to sign a bunch of forms that I couldn't understand but had my school's address all over them, processed and told to go. I asked if I'd be able to return to Korea, and the guy said he didn't know.

Shaken, I went to the airline counter and handed the woman my ticket. I was promptly told that even though I had a ticket, I didn't have a seat. How? Apparently, when a travel agent issues a ticket, they then have to enter some number (on the bottom of the ticket) into the airline's computer system to complete the confirmation. My travel agent had failed to do this. So, I was told to wait until shortly before boarding time (4 bloody hours) to see if I could get a seat on stand-by. I'd paid for the ticket and had paid for the hotel in advance - a splurge on a Shinjuku business hotel - so I already had almost a thousand bucks sunk into this trip before leaving. Not good times.

So, I waited. Eventually I got lucky and made it onto the plane. I went to Tokyo and had a great time despite worrying about getting back into Korea at the end of the trip. Because of the travel agent error, I was forced to spend an extra day in Tokyo, costing me another hundred bucks or so for hotel. On the return, my only option was to try to get back in to the country on a one-way ticket with a tourist visa, having created a fair scene at a Korean immigration office only days prior. If that didn't work, my only remaining option was to fly back to Canada. Dicey. There were questions, explanations, and phone calls at the airline desk in Tokyo. After signing a "When you get busted for this, we're not responsible" waiver, they let me on the plane. Further explanations were required at immigration in Incheon, but eventually I got back in to Korea by the skin of my teeth.

This is how things stand now: I'm here on a tourist visa and arrangements are being made for a visa run early next week (I'm extending my contract for a few months and finishing on New Year's Eve). In the meantime I'm refusing to work of course - especially with all the noise I made at immigration over the last while, teaching would be insane. The director wasn't thrilled with that, but relented quickly anyway (my school's always been pretty good at keeping things above board, they don't like doing things the dodgy way usually).

Things could have been much worse I suppose, but it was pretty hairy there for a while. I'm glad it looks like things are working out ok in the end.

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

BTM · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Back in the saddle.

Exactly the short of shenanigans I was hoping wouldn't happen on my recent run, and didn't, thank goodness. Congrats on making it through the fire, though.

Blue Flower · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 9:32 pm Post subject:

God that totally sucks! I feel for you buddy. Thats made me so much more paranoid about things. At least they let you back into the country. Imagine if you just had to jump back to Canada. Beaucracy is such a pain in the ass!

Glen 2003 · Joined: 01 Sep 2003 Location: China

I'm glad you were able to get back into Korea.

Blue Flower · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 3:23 am Post subject:

And can I just say that you probably got more Derrecked tham Derreck himself!

FierceInvalid · Joined: 16 Mar 2003

Thanks for the welcomes back.

Update: It seems since I'm only staying for three more months the visa procedure is a bit more complicated. The usual run of E-2 paperwork apparently is only good if you're staying for at least six months. One of the Korean staff at my school found this out the hard way today when he went to immigration. The poor guy is going back again tomorrow to try and straighten it out - apparently not a massive problem, just a new run of paperwork. In the meantime, that pushes back the expected date of my visa run, so it might be a bit longer than I thought before I get back on the payroll.

Lemon, and anyone else interested: Freedom Travel. A big agency, they advertise in the Herald and stuff and have a dedicated team of English speakers just for foreigners. I've used them before a few times without problems, but likely won't again obviously...

Zyzyfer · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 5:04 am Post subject:

Always always always always always always always always always always know your visa like the back of your hand. Sounds dumb to say it like that, but it's the truth. DO NOT EVER play around with uncertainty concerning that date.

On a tangent, I was amazed to find that the U.S. doesn't have any apparent penalties for people who overstay their B-2 for 179 days, but after that, it's a 3-year ban on entry.

Play_Doh · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Online

Pyongshin Sangja · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Location: I love baby!

Lemon, and anyone else interested: Freedom Travel. A big agency, they advertise in the Herald and stuff and have a dedicated team of English speakers just for foreigners. I've used them before a few times without problems, but likely won't again obviously...

Freedom did that to me as well!! I had to leave on a certain day in order not to overstay and when I went to their office they had lost the reservation! I made enough of a stink that they finally got me on the plane, but that was that for me with them. Enough. I dunno. Time Machine is good, I think.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

FierceInvalid,
Apparently, when a travel agent issues a ticket, they then have to enter some number (on the bottom of the ticket) into the airline's computer system to complete the confirmation. My travel agent had failed to do this.

My previous travel agent did the same thing. Does this lack of confirmation happen more in Korea? If so, why?