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lookingtoteach
Joined: 18 Feb 2003
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 Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 8:37 am Post subject: Visa runs |
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| I am going to Ansang in about a week and a half to work at a Kids Herald school, but I'll have to do a Visa run to Japan to get my E2. How complicated is this? I haven't travelled outside of North America and am a pretty nervous traveller. How long does it take to do this run? Any info would be great. |
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2CuteNCanadian
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:30 am Post subject: |
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Well, I'm pretty new at this but I remember reading something about the diff types of visas...the following is an excerpt from http://www.efl-law.com/coming.html
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Entering Korea on a tourist visa
Sometimes schools ask teachers to come to Korea on a tourist visa, prior to having an E-2 teaching visa. (Warning- this is where 90% of the problems originate, so be very careful if you are in this category.) In this case, schools will ask teachers to either send their documents and have the teacher come to Korea prior to obtaining a Visa Confirmation Letter, or the school will ask the teacher to hand carry the documents necessary to process their E-2 visa with them to Korea. In this case you will be asked to come to Korea initially on a tourist visa.
If you are entering Korea on a tourist visa, you must have a round trip ticket. You will not be allowed to board the plane to Korea, or enter the country, if you do not have a round trip ticket.
There is no paperwork necessary to obtain a tourist visa. As long as you have a valid passport with at least 6 months before expiration date, and a round trip ticket, you will be given a single entry 3 or 6 month tourist visa once you enter Korea.
Once you have entered Korea on a tourist visa, the school will process your paperwork to get you an E-2 teaching visa as soon as possible. Once Korean immigration has issued the school your visa confirmation letter, the school will pay for a round trip ticket for you to Fukuoka, Japan (http://www.city.fukuoka.jp/index-e.html) ,or occasionally Osaka, Japan,
http://www.city.osaka.jp/english - the cities closest to Korea with Korean consulates.
You must go to Japan or another country with a Korean embassy or consulate in order to change your visa status from tourist to teacher- Korean immigration law does not allow this change in status to occur within Korea. Normally you will only need to spend 24 - 48 hours in Japan. Your first day in Fukuoka, you will need to drop off your passport and visa confirmation letter at the Korean consulate, fill out a form and pay a fee, just as you would when applying for an E-2 Visa in the United States or Canada. The next day you will need to return to the consulate in order to pick up your visa with your E-2 visa stamped in it, and then you are ready to return to Korea as a legal English teacher. (see also Visa Run)
Important Note- Change your Korean Won into Yen in Korea before you leave for Japan- you will/may not be able to exchange Won for Yen in the airport in Fukuoka.
The Korean Consulate General in Fukuoka city is located at 1-1-3 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810, on Yokatopia-dori Avenue about 500 meters south of the Fukuoka Dome. The telephone number is 092-771-0461; the fax is 092-771-0464. Fukuoka1-1-3 Chuo-Ku Fukuokas Jigyohama
Post code 810-0065
email : [email protected]
Office Hours : 9:00-12:00 1: 30-17:00 (Monday to Friday) No Saturdays.
Time difference with Korea : 0- Fukuoka is in the same time zone as Korea.
To get there from the airport take the subway to the brown vase stop- Tojin Machi (9th stop from the airport). It's right after Ohori Koen ( a park ). From Tojin Machi, take the first exit (1) it says Korean Consulate on it. Walk towards the traffic light after walking straight out of the exit. Turn right and go straight for about 10 minutes. You'll have to cross over to the other side of the street. The consulate has a Korean style roof and a Korean Flag. The consulate is close to the Fukuoka Dome. (Some teachers go without the Blue form - so must return to Korea to obtain it) Don't go without it!
To process your visa you will need to bring your passport, the Visa Confirmation Letter from your school and one passport sized photo.
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Like I said, I'm a new to the scene and as wild and crazy as I might like to be....things like this, are not worth gambling with in my opinion. If it were me....I'd insist on an E2 Visa. By the way....have you done much research on your school....you should visit www.hagwonreport.com before you decide anything....
Cheers...
C |
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wylde
Joined: 14 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| nice job |
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chronicpride
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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The best resource on the net that I've seen for the visa run is the one at PusanWeb.
PS, if you're not getting the E2 in North America, beforehand, make sure the school is covering the cost of the visa run to Fukuoka. Excluding any drunken visits to Happy C*ck or Crazy C*ck, expect to spend around 300,000 Won, for hydrofoil, hotel, and food.
Hope it helps
Last edited by chronicpride on Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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lookingtoteach
Joined: 18 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the info. 2cutencanadian, where are you going in Korea? You're from Halifax right? |
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maxxx_power
Joined: 17 Mar 2003
Location: BWAHAHAHAHA! I'M FREE!!!!!!!
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 3:17 pm Post subject: Re: Visa runs |
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| lookingtoteach wrote: |
| I am going to Ansang in about a week and a half to work at a Kids Herald school... |
Keep your bags packed.[/b] |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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there's a guide to doing the visa run in the FAQs.
Reasonably easy process.
clg |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="2CuteNCanadian"]Well, I'm pretty new at this but I remember reading something about the diff types of visas...the following is an excerpt from http://www.efl-law.com/coming.html
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Entering Korea on a tourist visa
If you are entering Korea on a tourist visa, you must have a round trip ticket. You will not be allowed to board the plane to Korea, or enter the country, if you do not have a round trip ticket.
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This is wrong. I entered Korea on a one way ticket on December 6th of this year. Not only was I allowed to board the plane, I had no problem entering the country. The Immigration offical asked me why I was coming to Korea. I replied "To teach English". He pointed to my passport "But you don't have a E-2 visa". To which I replied "My employer is sending me to obtain one this week." He stamped my passport and waved me through. |
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buddy bradley
Joined: 24 Aug 2003
Location: The Beyond
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| Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 7:38 am Post subject: |
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So you can guarantee that everyone will be able to fly to Korea on a one-way ticket with a tourist visa because that was your experience?
Are ladybugs delicious? Although I've never eaten any I know that if you say they are then they must be. |
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