Korean Job Discussion Forums

napoleon8 · Joined: 18 May 2003

My E-2 expires in May 04. I have no job and no release letter. I flew out of Incheon airport Friday night expecting to give my alien registration card to someone somewhere along the way because I had been told so many times that it would happen. It didn't. Why not?

I'm American and I believe my visa is multi-entry. Maybe this is the reason. What will happen if I fly back into Incheon before May 04? Will they give me the usual 30-day stamp in my passport for Americans or will I get to stay until my visa expires in May?

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

The reason is that because your visa says until may 2004 they just presumed you would come back i suppose so didn't take it. Maybe you weren't declared to immigration. good souvenir.

simon77047 · Joined: 08 Mar 2003

when i completed my first contract last December and left Korea my immigration card was valid for about three additional weeks. immigration did not take my card. BUT, when i returned in March, that was the first thing they asked for. i had to surrender it then.

Zed · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Shakedown Street

I suspect JB is right. They thought you were coming back. If you didn't have that multiple entry visa I bet they would have asked you for it.

shawner88 · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

This reminds me of a story. At my last job in Ulsan I lost my immigration card a month before my contract was up. I went to the police and filled out a mandatory report. I gave this report to my boss who was supposed to bring it to immigration but never did. When I left the country, I didn't have a card. The Korean Air check-in woman asked for it. Thinking quickly, I said I didn't bring it because I planned on coming back next week, as I still had several weeks left on my E-2 visa (because I started work a month before getting an e-2) but the woman made me go see immigration because I had no return ticket. The dink immigration guy made me pay a 100,000 won fine for not having my card. I told him I had no money - he said I couldn't leave then. Finally I gave in and almost missed the damn plane in the process. For me it was a fitting end to a year of crap.

simon77047 · Joined: 08 Mar 2003

Just curious? Why would you have left it in the hands of your employer to fix a problem you created? I think you are probably a grown person and as such, you must accept responsibilities for your actions/inactions. Because you didn't make the time to take the form to immigration, you became a victim. Is this right? Isn't this exactly what is wrong with the "West?" I'm sure I'll get flammed big time, but this is how I feel. We will never make this world a better place as long as we delagate and find someone to blame so in the end "we" can say we were victimized. If you did in fact trust your Director to do what s/he said, did you follow up to see if it was done? Obviously not.

Zed · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Shakedown Street

shawner88 · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

The immigration office is in the middle of nowhere and very hard to find. I told my boss the day after I lost the card and he called immigration and found out what to do. After I got the police report, he said he would take it to immigration. It was my fault for not following up with him on it and I really had no idea of the importance of having it upon leaving. I posted hereso others can learn from my mistake, not to whine.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

In response to the OP:

This happened to me once too, I remember the situation, was rather wierd I had to change my visa mid job, something about the person who had sponsered me changing. When I left I didn't give up my card, at the Embassy in Japan they didnt ask for the card, and when I came back the guy said "you gave your card when you left right?" I just went "Yup I sure did!" And that's all that happened with that. That was about the time they were changing the ARCs anyways.

I guess I didn't want any surprise fines or other such nonsense. Don't worry about it Smile

If you come back you just say you surendered your card when you left.

batman · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 3:57 pm Post subject:

When my wife finished her first contract, she went to Canada for a vacation. She was not asked for her card when she went through the airport. So she kept it. Now she has a nice momento of her time in Korea. Since then she has signed a couple of more contracts and went through a couple of more cards.
So, basically, if the officer asks for the card you should give and if they don't ask then don't worry about it.