Korean Job Discussion Forums

[richardlang]

I called the Seoul immigration office recently and they were quite rude to me when I asked what benefits accompany an F4 visa in comparison to other visa types. That said, I know what my visa can do essentially (e.g. I can stay and renew every two years without much hassle), but I just called to have it spelled out. I had heard an F4 gives most rights nationals are entitled to. But, nowhere can I find these rights spelled out. It's as if this has been done on purpose, and I say this not merely because I've had hard trouble finding the information, but because everyone I know gets railroaded when asking about F4 status. The justice and immigration websites have nothing but a cursory summary spelled out. I need a pamphlet of the actual written law in Korea so I can participate more fully in this country.

When I said I had a Korean heritage visa, the Seoul immigration official said, "No, you are not Korean." He said these words as if he was spitting bitter food out of his mouth. I wasn't claiming to be perfect blood Korean. I merely said what visa I have.

This government-sanctioned discourteousness likely doesn't surprise anyone on this board, much less any foreigner in this country. But it shouldn't be tolerated. I've gotten this mean-spirited, curt attitude not only from Seoul Immigration but also from Suwon Immigration. My call to Seoul immigration wasn't the first. I actually called back expecting to talk to a person with a different attitude. By the way, this discourteousness was conveyed to me in both conversations in fluent English.

[yeremy]

I think Immigration officials, wherever they are, are usually curt and even rude to foreigners, except for Japan. The last time I went badk to the US, I felt like that Immigration official was looking at me as a potential criminal until proven innocent. I think it's just semantics. Those people you spoke to just didn't like the way you described your F visa. My wife, who is Korean but has foreign citizenship, has a F visa but the immigration people are always much nicer to her than to me. You and I are not Korean, so that's life here in Korea sometimes.

[JeannieAbroad]

[howie2424]

I had a bad experience with immi a couple years ago when they refused to extend my F2 visa for a further 2 year period. They kept giving me 6 month extensions on the grounds that 'they wanted to be sure my wife and I were actually married'. I found this a little insulting and wrote a letter to the Ministry of Justice (in English) complaining about it. A few weeks later an immigration official called my wife and apologized. He actually drove out to my city and met my wife at the local city hall and extended the visa for a further two years. I was quite satisfied with the response. You might consider writing a similar letter.

[bassexpander]

While single, my lady came to the USA with me a few years back. As we arrived in Minneapolis for our plane change, I warned her, "if we stand next to each other, they're going to jump on us." I said it would be easier on us if we separated and ignored each other as we waited in our respective lines.

As luck would have it, there was a great deal of confusion as to which line she was supposed to go in (the naming of the lines was somewhat odd, and not merely U.S.A citizens here... all others here...). So she came over to me. There were police roving around between the mass of people exiting the 747, and as soon as she walked my direction, a police officer made a bee-line directly to us. I swear he thought he was averting another WTC bombing. The first words out of his mouth were something to the effect of, "Can I see your passport, please? Why are you here... are you getting married?"

I told her to show her tourist visa, and that was that.

She'd been to the states before.

Immigration people are a-holes the world-over. Sometimes, they have to be. Sometimes....

[Young FRANKenstein]

[bassexpander]

Yeah, I hate dealing with immigration here, and will be the first to say they're clueless... but I have to wonder how Koreans and people from other countries feel. Generally, in Korea, they are rude to you, but not overly gruff. In the USA, they are very "short" with people, expecting immediate and clear answers to their gruff, probing questions. It must scare the $*#@ out of some people who aren't used to that type of cultural situation.

[buymybook]

I don't know why I'm assisting an F-4 when I'm on an E-2, but here it goes...Everything is not a law, merely regulations which can change at anytime Immig. chooses and be interpreted in any way by any Immi. official.

Sorry!

[hellofaniceguy]

[quote Immigration people are a-holes the world-over. Sometimes, they have to be. Sometimes....[/quote]

No, they don�t have to be butt wipes�most are just sanctimonious, self-righteous and have the attitude �holier than thou.�
Same as cops.
And the sad thing is that �you� or �we� can�t do a damm thing about it. We will always lose when dealing with the man at the initial stages.
I have seen ICE put the cuffs on a few people who were doing no wrong�ICE�s response was, �this is for our protection.� In the end, both were released and allowed to leave the airport. Pretty damm ignorant of them I think.
And you won�t get a straight answer from any of them be it in Canada, the U.S. or korea!

[mindmetoo]

offtopic: bassexpander your new icon works on so many levels. Good work.