Korean Job Discussion Forums

[peachlily]

[jvalmer]

Korea has reformed their hojuk system, and just came into effect jan 2008, so I don't know how it works now. But, in the past you needed the persons name, date of birth, names and DOB of your parent's parents would help, the head of the hojuk, and the bonjuk (clan's original town). Your parents maybe have a copy of a hojuk somewhere. Ask for a copy and get a new one in Korea.

You could be in the hojuk, since any family member could register you. Since you're female, you don't have to worry about military service, and things could be alot easier to just come to Korea and get the documents in Korea. Best case senario if you come to Korea, you'll have you're F4 card within a week (if you're able to get the required documents and submitted in one day).

[T-dot]

[jiyull]

Eligible Applicants

- Foreign citizens who previously possessed ROK citizenship (They must have renounced their ROK citizenship.)
- Foreign citizens with at least one parent or grandparent who possessed ROK citizenship in the past but who currently is a citizen of another country
Please note: Those who wish to apply for the below types of visas should contact the Consulate for details.

Required Items

1. Completed visa application form
2. One recent passport-type colour photo
3. Passport with remaining validity of at least 6 months, plus a copy
4. Cdn $88.00 visa fee (multiple-visa) (Cash or Money order)


Additional items required for this type of visa:

A. For foreign citizens who previously possessed ROK citizenship:
- Canadian citizenship certificate of the applicant (letter-size document)
- Canadian citizenship certificates (letter-size documents) or permanent residency documents (card) of the applicant�s parents
- Recent copy of the family register (�ho jeok deung bon�) proving the applicant�s citizenship has been renounced

B. For foreign citizens with at least one parent or grandparent who possessed ROK citizenship in the past but who currently is the citizen of another country:
- Original birth certificate (The statement of live birth) issued by a foreign country (the names of the applicant�s parents must be stated on it)
- Recent copy of the family resister (�ho jeok deung bon�) proving that a parent or grandparent of the applicant was a Korean citizen and their citizenship has been renounced.
- Documents showing the reason and date the parent or grandparent gained foreign citizenship (i.e. a letter-size citizenship certificate)


Entry, Departure, and Residency in Korea

For people who obtain F-4 status, preferential treatment is granted as follows:
- A stay of up to two years is permitted and the period of stay can be extended through an application process.
- It is possible to engage in almost all employment activities, excluding unskilled manual labor and speculation activities. However, in order to work in certain regulated professions, individuals must qualify in the relevant area (law, medicine, etc.), in accordance with Korean laws.
- It is not necessary to complete the alien registration process if the F-4 visa holder reports domestic residency to a Korean immigration office.

[peachlily]

So I found this on the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea website.


Korean Family Census Register
Korean Family Census Register(births, marriages, divorces, deaths and adoptions) may be obtained by writing the specific ward office in which the Family Census Register is filed. To facilitate locating the Family Census Register in the ward office files, the following must be provided:

*Name of the head of family written in either Korean or Chinese characters;
*Family's permanent address in Korea. The family register is compiled for each family unit when the family head has established a permanent address within the jurisdiction of the ward office.

The charge is $3.00 per copy. A check or money order should be made payable to the ward office concerned.

*******************************************************

I think that the hojuk is the only thing I am missing in order to apply for an F-4 visa in NYC.
--What do they mean by "head of family?" would that be my grandfather (mother's father?) or someone else??
--Since my mother and my mother's father and mother (my grandparents) have lived in the USA since the 1970s, would I also report their permanent address prior to leaving Korea?

--So all in all, to obtain a copy of the hojuk, I need to mail this info to some address of an office in the town my mother was born? oh and include the $3.00 check.


Hopefully if I write them over in Korea, they can get it back to me before May 10th...

[trappedinkorea]

so i've read all the post regarding the problems with recieving an F4 visa so here's my problem. I'm a male. I was born in Canada and my father was a canadian citizen at the time of my birth but my mother wasn't, however, they were married in Canda before i was born. I've found out resently that my name is on the hojak because of my grand father. my name is under my fathers hojak. according to what i've read on the us website regarding my sitution it says that "parents" must be US citizens before i was born. but can that apply to only one parent. I.E. father because its his name that i'm on for the hojak? another problem is that i'm currently in korea working and i've been told by the korean embassy in Canada that the military could come get me. So i'd like to have this issue resolved ASAP regarding military service and getting a F4 visa. I read that the hojak law has changed but i don't know if the old excemption applies or if i'm in the clear. If anyone has any information regarding this and has been in my position any help would be greatly appreciated.

[kuno808]

*
A male who was born in the U.S., whose name is on the Korean Family Census Register, and whose parents were not American citizens at the time of his birth but immigrated to and live in the U.S., is not obligated to serve in the Korean military if he renounces his Korean citizenship prior to March 30 of the year he turns 18 years of age.
*

hey Pkang,

i am everything above what you said except that i don't know if i renounced my korean citizenship prior to my 18th bday. i don't think i did. i guess i would need to get an updated Family registry? can i get one of those here in seattle? does it also mean i am not technically part of the family tree in korea?

[kuno808]

hey all,

just wondering. if i am a US citizen, born and raised in the US, can i still renounce my korean citizenship even after 22? i can't remember if i did or not and i have requested a relative to get me a copy of it in korea. i called the korean consulate in LA and she told me that if i am still on it, i cannot renounce my korean citizenship until i after 35 and won't be able to get my F4 visa. now i am all confused. is there a restriction on renouncing korean citizenship? any advise will put my mind to ease. thanks!

[trappedinkorea]

so i've just got my hojuk however its not a hojuk that i recieved its the removal of name hojuk. apparently even though i never renounced my citizenship before i turned 22 in korea my name was still removed from the list because my father was a canadian citizen before i was born and renounced his korean citizenship making his hojuk invalid. However, i have talked to my uncle who is a judge in Korea. he explained to me that the law did change in jan 1, 2008 and if you were born in canada or the United states that you are nolonger a Korean citizen by the age of 22 unless you choose to remain a citizen. now here is the tricky part. this does not really apply to everyone for some reason because it also has to do with your parents citizenship status, namely your father your mother doesn't count. as mentioned earlier if your father was a US, or Candian citizen before you were born than your in the clear if not that you have problems. First, you can't really be sure wether or not your name is on the hojuk the consulate will just tell you that it is because they can't be bothered they pulled the same bull shit with me in Toronto. the only way to know for sure is to ask a family member in korea to go and get the list for you. they will need your fathers citizenship number or place of birth address. HOWEVER, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOUR NAME HAS NOT BEEN REMOVED FROM THE HOJUK AND YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF 22 do not think of entering Korea even with a visitor visa. the minute your hojuk is retreved the Ministry of Justice and the Military receive notice. So basically your gonna have to take the chance. However, as i am still currently persuing my F4 visa I will try and uncover more information regarding this Military and Hojuk law because it has changed but little information regarding the changes are available. So good luck.

[talika]

Just to be clear:

I came across this:

DUAL NATIONALITY: The Government of the Republic of Korea does not recognize dual citizenship. Men must choose a single nationality by March 31 of the year they turn 18 years old, and women by the age of 21. If men do not select a nationality by that date, the Korean government will consider them to have chosen Korean nationality, and they will be obligated to serve duty in the Korean military. Conversely, women who do not choose a nationality by age 21 will be considered to have lost their Korean nationality. http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1018.html

I'm Korean with a Canadian citizenship, I asked my dad and apparently we didn't formally renounce our Korean citizenship before we immigrated to Canada. But, according to that statement above: women who do not choose a nationality by the age of 21 will be considered to have lost their Korean nationality. Does that mean I do not have to renounce my "Korean citizenship" now? I'm 23 by the way. I'm really confused about this whole F4 business, and I intend on calling my local Korean embassy/consulate. But if someone can enlighten me until then, I would appreciate your help! Thanks!

[trappedinkorea]

regardless if your a boy or a girl you still have to formally renounce your korean citizenship if you have not formally done so. Which is what i'm doing. i believe its easier if you are a women because you don't have to apply for military service excemption. however simply go to this website
http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/CvlapplMain_en.pt?locale=en
its the korean e-government website. you'll be able to find information on what documents you need and how to do it. easest way is to simple get a copy of your family hojuk because it will state what your current status is.

[talika]

Thanks!
Good luck with your F4 visa!

[jiyull]

I was told by some lady at a Korean consulate...that I needed a transcript for the F4 Visa... She's wrong right?

[talika]

[jiyull]

Remember to bring the exact same stuff that you used to get a F4...for alien registeration.