Korean Job Discussion Forums

sadiebear · Joined: 13 Sep 2007

Hi guys-I'm taking my wife and small child with me to korea to live with me while i work.but i heard that, although theyll be out there on s3 visas,the only way we can all travel there at the same time, is if they go on tourist visas then make a visa run to japan. this would be really inconvenient.Is this the only way to do it?thanks!

quilter · Joined: 11 Feb 2006

If you are teaching and get an E2 visa before you enter, your wife and child will enter on tourist visas and then change while they are in country. They shouldn't have to leave. Mine didn't.

mrsquirrel · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

Where are your wife and baby from?

If they are from a non English country then you will need to get your marriage papers translated into English and stamped.

However, the people at immigration still might be knobbers and say that they aren't in English. They refused my wife her visa twice in Thailand because they claimed the 'papers' had to be in English i.e. an English marriage certificate (which we don;t have since we were married in Thailand) we did have a translated stamped sealed and touched by god himself certified copy from the UK embassy which still wasn't good enough.

She came here on a tourist as suggested by the embassy. After being interogated by immigration, when she went to apply the woman at immigration still threw it back at us saying - NO Englishee, once I showed her the British Embassy stamp she was happy enough though.

TTopmtaz told me that your school can apply for a visa number for her before you arrive as long as you provide the necessary papers. Might be worth looking into before having to deal with the knobbers at immigration

blonde researcher · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 4:14 pm Post subject:

If your employer is supportive of you bringing your wife and child, he/she can definitely apply for and obtain spousal and dependent child visas from Korean immigration at the sametime he/she applies for your E2 sponsorship visa.

These papers must then be put into the Korean Embassy (in your home country) at the same time you put your final issuance number, visa application and passport in for stamping.

To get the paperwork done before you depart you must provide a marriage certificate and birth certificate to the employer to give to immigration (now I believe these have to be Apostilled- like your diploma).

If you are not legally married then you can not get any paperwork before you leave.

In the public EPIK school system the teacher must arrive in Korea before the spouse and settle first. Then they can apply in Korea to have the wife and child to come and settle with them.

If your wife and child arrive with you into Korea (without paperwork) they will be on a tourist visa and will in that capacity having to leave every 3 months or 30 days (USA) and enter again as a tourist.

The tourist scenario works out OK except that they are never covered by any medical insurance or support in Korea. You MUST buy travel/medical insurance for them before you leave your home country. Nor could a child go to Korean school whilst on a tourist visa ( well if you were brave enough to want them to)

kaosjin · Joined: 06 Sep 2007

Hi, You should have no problem. Even if your wife and child come on a tourist visa. Make sure you have your child's birth certificate and bring your marriage license. Once you are here and receive your ARC number, you just go to immigration with passports, marriage license, birth certificate and you should get their F3 visa within two weeks. Once you get their ARC numbers take the card to your workplace and tell them to add them to your medical and they will be covered.
The magic word here is "should"
good luck

mrsquirrel · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

Depends where his wife is from though.

If she is from another poorer Asian country they act like cnuts towards them/

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

chapter9 · Joined: 26 Oct 2007

mrsquirrel - can you pm me with a contact email as I haven't made the minimum amount of posts to PM? I am thinking of getting a spouse visa for my Thai wife for next year in the case that I either renew my contract or work for a different employer. Immigration have been difficult the two times my wife has come through on a tourist visa this year.

I would appreciate your knowledge as you have been through the hoops.

Cheers.