Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PGF]

I have an ear in the MOJ; the infamous 20-something lawyer and ABA member, Mr. Lee.

Post away. I guarantee he'll be looking at this post.

His article in the Herald mentioned he has friends in immi- so give it your best shot. He's in the process of getting an account for Dave's

now. Here's your chance to be heard by a first classs, ummm... by an attorney working for a 2nd...ummm by a developing country.

[blurgalurgalurga]

Hey, cool, thanks for the soapbox PGF.

Dear Hall of Justice,
Here are my concerns. Thanks for caring.
1) I'd like to ask how exactly I can get a criminal record check in a timely fashion from my home country when I have no address there, as I am listed for tax reasons as a foreign resident. No I am not American, and the website you listed for them seems to have some rather serious limitations anyway, depending on what state one hails from.
Is there a truly international criminal record check that is tapped in to all the police departments in the world? If so, can I get a criminal record check from them?
Like, Interpol or something, or maybe that one they have in the 'Mission Impossible' movies?

2) Also: please could you list specific rules as to exactly how clean our records must be? Are there explicit standards, or are they left up to individual immigration officers who, fearing for their jobs, figure its better to reject somebody who was proven innocent (but at least momentarily, considered as a suspect) rather than get blamed for negligence, later, when it turns out the accused was actually a cunning paedo?

Despite the uncomfortable fact that anybody might be a villain, it seems absurd to me that people who have been acquitted are assumed guilty. This flies in the faces of reason and the sorts of justice that we in the western world optimistically assume to be our right; if found innocent by professional judges and police, why are we not then assumed innocent? Is that not an admission that the courts and our institutions of law are intrinsically f&$#!ed? If so, why do we care what they think anyway? Of course, our courts are NOT f^#%ed. I believe in the rule of law, and the efficacy of our legal systems. If they say we're innocent, we're innocent, right? Except for OJ, of course. That's totally different, cause he was a miscegnationist and an uppity Negro.

I admit, this affects me personally. I was charged a couple of years ago, wrongly unfairly and essentially by accident; but then, the police, upon realizing their mistake, apologized and dropped the charges, long before it ever went to trial. I was completely innocent, then and now am as pure as the driven snow, and am still nightly traumatized--nay, mortified--by the very accusation that I--I! a mild-mannered law-abiding milquetoast church-goer, could have had any involvement with the heinous crime of 'possession of stolen property.' Good lord jumping Jesus H. Christ on a bicycle, man: I'd sooner sell my mothers kidney than I would possess stolen property. I'd prefer chewing my fingers off, battering them in a light tempura, carefully frying them in peanut oil, and serving them to company with a nice Chianti than I would commit any crime. I make Flanders look like Snake. Plus I'm smart. I'm that good.

I have worked here for several years without incident and was hoping to work for another year at least. However, as my charge may not be purged in time to make the march 15th deadline, I may be denied my next visa--assuming, that is, I can get a signed criminal record check by then. Without a Canadian address, it takes four months or more to get a federal RCMP check, you see. And then, there's the issue of notarizing, or apostillationizingness, or slef-declared affidaviting. But hey, you already know that, as you are in close contact with all the Best embassies. Which method is best?

I'm a great teacher, and all who know me want to buy me presents. Obviously, I tell them no, no, don't, it's reward enough for me just to be here, surrounded by your love and respect, knowing I'm doing Good in the world. Everybody I've ever met is unanimous in their unbridled affection towards me. The cops who wrongly arrested me both committed ritual suicide with their whole families afterwards, on account of doing me so heinous a wrong. I told them not to but they had their little hearts set on it. I am, for all intents and purposes, a really wonderful person.

What should I do, Mr. E?
Semisincerely yours,
Mike Blurgalurgalurga

[Norith]

Dear Mr. Lee,

Thank you for addressing your message to the people who will actually be affected by the new E-2 Visa regulations. It seems as though very few of the officials in charge of the changes have addressed their positions to the crowd that will be most impacted: the teachers.

I am very new in Korea, and I am still learning how things work here. I would like to ask if there are any changes in the works to make teachers feel more secure in Korea. I, of course, do not mean physically secure, as there is very little violent crime here. I am rather inquiring into whether or not there are any proposed changes to make us feel more economically secure. I believe that more foreigners have had bad experiences working in Korea than Korean businesses have had working with foreigners. Most of the teachers on this forum have worked in hogwons (and even public schools!) where they have been cheated out of hard-earned money, and we have very little recourse in your court of law. Will this change? Will you try to create a system in which employers are punished more heavily for knowingly hiring teachers illegally? As it stands, recruiters often lie to prospective employees about working conditions; will you try to impose greater fines for recruiters who knowingly deceive foreign workers?

Also, I would like to ask about the hard-statistics of people that have "beaten the system." That is, how many teachers have you caught in Korea, that have broken Korean law? (How many E-2 drug users? How many E-2 degree forgers? How many other criminal acts perpetrated by E-2 visa holders, that have ended in jail time and/or deportation?)

I would also like to know if there are plans in the works to guard Korea against criminals that are on visa's other than E-2s. Why does immigration seem to believe that E-2 visa holders are more likely to have skeleton's in their closet than E-7 visa holders? Or F-4/F-2 visa holders? Does immigration believe that E-1 visa holders are less likely to have criminal pasts, because they are teaching a subject other than English as a Second Language?

Finally, I would beg that you address the question of whether or not immigration will have rigid guidelines to follow, or if every visa will be considered on a case-by-case basis? I believe that most Native English-speaking Teachers in Korea would be willing to abide by the new regulations if they knew what you were looking for. If a 50 year old teacher had a bout of depression in college, will they be denied a visa because of their medical examination? If a trauma victim was prescribed morphine while in the hospital for broken bones, will they be denied? Will we be denied on the basis of our criminal report, if the law that was broken was not against Korean Law? Will we be denied for having been arrested, without a conviction (as blurgalur asked)?

I hope that you are able to respond to any of these questions.

Thanks PGF

[yingwenlaoshi]

I'd say, "How you doin?"

Fegetaboutit.

[SirFink]

I'd post something, but I'm too busy looking for a job in Japan.

[shaunew]

I would say you guys want to be dicks and pull down my pants and then say here is the biggest dick you will every see, and walk away knowing that I might have change something in the world that day.

[idonojacs]

That not all ESL teachers have trailer trash manners.

[moosehead]

bite me

[wylies99]

Why are hagwons allowed to stay open after being convicted of crimes against teachers and teachers are thrown out of the country over any little thing?

[some waygug-in]

Why are these new regulations being focused only on E-2 visa holders?

Especially since it has been shown that Mr. Neil was not on an E-2 and that even with the new regulations in place, he still could have come to Korea and taught illegally on a tourist visa or as he did on an E-7.

What is the point of the new regulations? All they accomplish is to discourage people from working legally.


Regarding police checks, for persons who have resided in Korea for 5 years or more, would it not make more sense to have a Korean police check done? What is the point of forcing people to go back to their respective countries to have this done?

[mistermasan]

can i have my diploma back? my boss provided it to immigration. he has a stamped photocopy of it from immigration. he says immigration never gives back documentation.

[some waygug-in]

He's lying. I've always gotten mine back when they approved my visa application.

[buymybook]

Why after I show the police a video of my hagwon owner entering my place of residence illegally, spitting on me, kicking me, darn near pulling my arm out of its socket in the attempt to drag me outside like a dog, stalking me, driving illegally(he lost his license due to a DWI), falsely imprisoning me, and taking my luggage outside, the Gangdong police finds the criminal innocent?

Then, why doesn't the Prosecutor do anything about the same criminal case complaint after receiving it from the police station? Or, does the Prosecutor just believe the police whenever a complaint is made by a Native English Teacher?

And why does Immigration negotiate on behalf of hagwon owners..."If you drop your court case against your hagwon owner we will not deny your E-2 Visa next time like we did this time."

Why do Judges allow witnesses to testify against court rules? Or, does that just happen against Native English Teachers?

Why didn't you first provide a list of hospitals that will conduct drug tests on E-2 Visa holders before you implemented the new rules?

"The Justice Ministry has found -- after some surveys on its own -- that the Seoul Medical Science Institute, which is affiliated with the Health Ministry, conducts the tests, but the ministry has yet to determine which hospitals are linked to the institute to offer this service. The authorities are thus asking new foreign arrivals to check out local medical facilities to find where to go to take drug tests, even as the officials themselves were unable to produce such a list."

Do you know what 'DUH' means?

[wylies99]

ianinilsan's case has sent the message that hogwans can get away with ANYTHING and still remain open for business.

[Vlad Spinner]