Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mlindber]

To my understanding, the permanent residency visa is the F5 visa, which is generally obtained by F2s, married to Koreans, who have stayed in country for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, my wife being Chinese-Korean, I'm not eligible for an F2 visa. I am curious if after a certain period of time two foreigners are available for permanent residency.

We're both planning to live and work in Korea, and an F5 visa would be better for the kind of work I'm going to do.

Has anybody heard of a way to get permanent residency as two foreigners? Does anybody have an F5 and are not married to a Korean citizen?

[gteacher]

It is possible. However, under current regulations it requires a significant investment into Korea.

I know that there are some changes in the comming years, that will most likely make it easier for those who make contributions to Korean society or long term stayers to obtain an F-series visa.

[PRagic]

Have you checked the immigration web site?

[Kimchieluver]

[ttompatz]

[Hotpants]

[purple_buddha]

For the most part, the only people, who even know what an F-5 visa is, are other foreigners. Koreans generally don't know what an F-5 means and couldn't care less. They are some Korean recruiters who don't know that it's an upgrade of the more familiar F-2.

ttompatz wrote:

[mlindber]

[tob55]

In the regular sense the financial part of the F5 application is to show that your are gainfully employed or have a means of support. I applaud the efforts of those trying to work towards their F5 and it is about time Korea recognized the contributions of thousands of people who live and work here for more than the normal 1 - 3 years and then move on. I try to "contribute" to the culture and community in the ways I feel help everyone. It has caused me to rethink some of the the more basic lifestyle considerations, but with regard to my life as an American citizen, the F5 is as far as I would consider assimilating into Korea. There is something about holding onto the identity you have had since birth that makes sense to me. It is a subject I don't even consider crossing with my wife with regard to changing here citizenship from Korea to the USA.

The immigration people are having a hard time placing the right emphasis on "who" is granted the F2 or F5 and under what circumstances. Open the door a fraction in their estimation and a flood of "undesirables" as they see it would come into the country. Sad to have this issue at the forefront, but it is and not much we can do about it until more reform takes place.

[maingman]

Visa rules will become more flexible to attract foreign talent, with foreigners allowed to extend their stay up to a maximum of five years, a presidential committee said yesterday.
But despite the ill effects the ban on dual citizenship has on the local workforce, it is yet to be revised. The government plans to rework a related law in November.
The extended stay for foreigners will apply starting with working visas issued this October, mostly for foreign professors, research personnel, engineers, pilots and employees at state-run companies.
English teachers, athletes, entertainers and students will not be allowed an extension, according to the committee for improving national competitiveness.
Also starting in October, residential visas for a period of five years or more, will be issued to foreigners who make indirect investments worth $500,000 or more in public projects. Foreign bureaucrats will receive visas guaranteeing unlimited residence.
In addition, a new type of visa will be issued to permit foreigners a six-month job-searching period in Korea even without a contract. When employed, these foreigners will switch to working visas. This visa will be limited to foreigners who have had a minimum three years of experience at the world's top 500 companies, or graduated from universities in the world's top 300.
Visa renewal services will be offered online, and foreigners from companies recommended by government organizations such as the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency will be allowed to apply for visas online at a website called Hunet Korea starting in December. KOTRA's worldwide offices will be equipped with "Contact Korea," a job recommending service connecting foreigners to Korean firms.
But the government took a more cautious stance on allowing dual citizenship, calling it a "sensitive issue" as it may affect public sentiment.
The Justice Ministry said it is considering submitting a bill in November to allow limited dual citizenships to a select number of people who have held such citizenships since birth, and also those who have completed mandatory military service.
Korean law requires those who obtained dual citizenship before the age of 20 to renounce one nationality before they become 22. Those who get dual nationality after age 20 must choose one nationality within two years. Men tend to abandon their Korean citizenship to avoid military drafting, which the government said was hurting the workforce.
In January, the Lee Myung-bak administration created a committee under the presidential office to help jumpstart deregulation and other necessary measures to help catapult the country's global status. The committee holds monthly meetings.
To encourage corporate start-ups, the committee plans to eliminate the minimum 50 million ($49,970) of capital needed to set up corporations following a law revision it plans to apply for. Small factories are to be exempt from strict preliminary environmental evaluations.
As a follow-up measure to the March meeting, a bill is to be submitted to the National Assembly to reduce the time needed for authorizing industrial parks, beginning as early as August.
By Kim Ji-hyun
([email protected])


2008.05.01

[mlindber]

It's encouraging that visa laws are changing, but there are some fatal flaws in it. I'm only teaching English at this point in time to learn Korean while earning money, and because the industry I want to work in, film and video, is really hard to get into from outside the country and without a visa. Unfortunately, if English teachers are barred from this full stop, despite investments, cultural and monetarily, I think it's a bit misguided (which isn't surprising).

It seems like I'll likely be on an F-3 visa with my wife after she graduates until things turn around.

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I think it's painfully obvious of how the Korean government views English teachers. They don't deserve any help with English education.

[PRagic]

Chuckle, chuckle. Yeah, maybe they don't deserve it, but they can obviously buy it!