Korean Job Discussion Forums

Aussiekimchi · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Location: SYDNEY

We all received the notice about Dec 1 rules changes for E2 visas.
It was in Korean. I assume all recruiters got this today.
My staff translated it for me...the English is a little coarse, but you get the general idea.
Itallics are my comments
Strap yourselves in...

Immigration will do this from December 1st to prevent the
illegal work of English native teachers who cause
social problems such as unlicensed teacher, drug and sexual
criminal.

To prevent the inflow of unlicensed teachers, teachers must
submit Criminal records and Medical reports and then
teachers will have an interview at a Korean Consulate in teacher's
country.

Immigration will restrict into Korea teachers who are
illegal through forged diplomas , drug abusers and
sexual criminals. Also Immigration will strengthen penalties
for illegal employers.

To get E-2 visa teachers must submit a criminal record and a medical certificate (including drug tests) and then teacher will acquire a heath check from a Korean hospital after arrival.

To prevent forged documents such as Criminal records, teachers must submit Apostille documents that is supporting evidence (documents is real) ...dunno what this means.

Up to now a foreign teacher can get visa from Japan or China but from December foreign teachers must get visa from Korean Consulate in their Country. Teacher will get consulate interview when teachers apply for the first time for an E2 visa.

To prevent submission forgeries when teachers apply for a visa permission number at Immigration.

To solve lack of foreign teacher because of strict rules of
immigration. We will make best use of foreign teachers in
Korea and certificated licensed foreign teacher. ...WTF???

Japan visa runs become obsolete.
If teacher is working more than 9 months in their current employment and is professional person, it is possible to transfer visa.

If you want any more on this you can email me....
I would imagine all this will cause a few stirs...

Trioxin_Failure · Joined: 24 Nov 2005

Is this considered retroactive at all? I'm actually on my first month of a renewed contract (third year in korea total) and have been approved twice and extended once. I will be going on vacation to new york in december for one month and am wondering if I would face any additional hassle upon re-entering korea (such as criminal records and medical ones)

I noticed the part about the working for 9months might exempt that but I was wondering if you knew anything more detailed as far as the retroactive nature of the new law

Thanks

that guy · Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Location: long gone

The Korea Herald has a little write up here.

Aussiekimchi · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Location: SYDNEY

I do not know everything there is to know on these new laws as I am just reading them today and as this is Korea, I would imagine that they will change a bit here and there over the next month or two...or three.

If anyone wants to PM me, I can give you what I think it all means to your particular situation, but I would imagine there would be posters on this forum who know more than me.

I would guess these new laws only happen when you are either applying for your first E2 visa, or applying for a job with a new school, or returning to Korea after some time away.

EPIK are making F2, F4 and F5 visa holders submit the same docs this year so I would imagine this would follow into the private system.

seoulsucker · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:38 am Post subject:

So who does the extra cost get passed on to?

Teachers won't pay for a trip home, lodging and all the extras for a job they're not guaranteed to get, and employers won't pay for a potential hire that may get rejected.

The whole interview thing is just absolutely ridiculous. Have they considered the man hours it will take to schedule interviews? How are consulates (all 3 of them in Canada? What, 5 in the states?) going to handle THOUSANDS of interviews???

I'm all for the criminal and medical checks, though.

Aussiekimchi · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Location: SYDNEY

I would guess these new laws only happen when you are either applying for your first E2 visa, or applying for a job with a new school, or returning to Korea after some time away.
sorry..if you are in Korea working, you can transfer your visa over to a new school...teachers in Korea do not have to go home to have an interview...but you will have to submit a CBC and a medical ..and get a check up from a Korean hospital....
God I would hate to be a recruiter with all this stuff going on...oh wait

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

blurgalurgalurga · Joined: 18 Oct 2007

"To solve lack of foreign teacher because of strict rules of
immigration. We will make best use of foreign teachers in
Korea and certificated licensed foreign teacher. ...WTF???"

Does anybody else interpret this as maybe, just maybe, they'll let E2 teachers work side jobs? That would be a golden windfall for those six or seven hundred who survive the purge.
But nah...that'd make too much sense.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

sojourner1 · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:06 am Post subject:

Apostille means notarization. This is where you take a document to a notory public who stamps it as being valid. It is common with legal documents and business deal documents in the US. You usually go to a bank to find a notary public person. It can be a headache proving that what your document says is true which often requires all parties mentioned on the document to be present at the same time in front of the notary public to swear the oath that it is indeed, true to the word. If the notary public person trusts you, then they will stamp it just with you in presence. If turned down, try another notary public.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

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

A million?

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

All this and nothing has been announced yet. I wonder if you're the only one whose school has received this.

The only things that make sense are, although a little invasive, are the police and medical checks. Everything else can be done in Korea are in countries in close proximity.

I guess if you look at it though, it's been the same in the States for a while (don't know about Canada). To get in with a new work visa, you have to leave the country and come back again. Not sure if you have to go back to your home country if you're in the States though. Maybe. Korea is a little far for that though. Especially when these jobs need people from halfway around the world.

I renew my visa the 2nd week of December. And I'm waiting for my passport which had to be renewed by the same date. I'll get my passport before the end of November and just renew it as soon as I get it. I don't think, however, that it's I'll be affected by any changes.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

In a way though, the police checks are kind of silly. Maybe. I mean, do they even let people who have recent serious crimes against them out of their country? Do they give them passports? Have these people, if their crimes were long enough ago, been reformed? Are they not going to let people in who have records for silly things like stealing a neighbor's Christmas tree light?

Hmm.

Oh well. Doesn't affect me.

slothrop · Joined: 03 Feb 2003