Korean Job Discussion Forums

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

We still have 14 days PAST our visa expiration to get out of the country, right? I don't feel like paying a fine during my trip home if I don't have to.

blade · Joined: 30 Jun 2007

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

Wrong. And don't let any stupid school tell you it's OK to stay over, and that they'll be the ones in trouble, not you. It will be your behind that gets into trouble with immi.

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

This must be new, then. I know for a fact that before the new regulations went into affect you had 14 days. Ugh, I hate bureaucracy.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think if you get a plane ticket like a month in advance, take the ticket to immigration and show it to them, they will give you a 14 day grace period. Otherwise, you better be out by midnight by the date on your ARC or you're in trouble.

Tommy · Joined: 24 Aug 2005

This isn't new at all. If you see your contract all the way through and do the whole year, then you must leave the country on the date printed on your ARC.

However, if you get terminated before that date then you're given 14 days to get your sh*t together.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

If you're terminated before the end of your contract, you get an exit order that gives you 30 days after your last day of working. You must, however, go to immigration to get it where you hand in your alien card and they give you an exit order. The exit order is a sheet of paper where you fill in the info needed and they do the rest and stapled it inside your passport. You'll need the exit order for immi at the airport. They take that instead of your alien card.

If you're fired (or quit, I believe) you don't have to go to immi right away, but you better do so before 30 days after your last day of employment. It's not, however, a good idea to put this off.

If you finished working for your employer, you have to leave the country on whatever expiration date is shown on your alien card.

You can apply for and get extensions on exit orders or the expiration date on your alien card in special circumstances provided you show them a plane ticket showing when you are planning to leave Korea and giving them reasons why. Extensions are at the sole discretion of immigration, but are very doable.

Extensions are for 14 days.

End of story.

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

ChinaBoy · Joined: 17 Feb 2007

I believe you'll also have to go to your home consulate for a "meeting" if you've overstayed a visa, yes? Thought I read this.

Might be something to look into if you're planning on returning.

sojourner1 · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:05 pm Post subject:

Don't over stay. You have no free time past midnight of the date on your ARC. You'll get popped for a fine at the airport and if you get caught before you make it to the airport, you'll be detained and it'll cost a lot of money due to missing your original flight. It's unlikely you'd get caught until you went to the airport though.

Get an extension. You also might want the extra time to tie loose ends. Better to have it longer than your boss thinks it's for.

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

gteacher · Joined: 24 May 2007 Location: Ghost in the machine

Big Mac · Joined: 17 Sep 2005

There is an unspoken 14-day grace period where they will not fine you if you overstay.

However, I know of several people who overstayed their visa a few years ago and ran into trouble when they tried to renew their visas.

For example, one guy I know overstayed his visa a few years ago and didn't face any penalties at the time. When he quit his job and tried to start at a new one, the immigration people said that he could not fly to Japan for a visa run because his visa will be denied. They said that he broke the law a few years ago by overstaying his visa, and because of that he had to fly back to his home country to get his new visa as a punishment.

His new job fired him because they didn't want to spend the money to fly him back to England.

So beware. They might not fine you now, but there may be consequences for you in the future.

esetters21 · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Location: Seoul

There is a good chance that by overstaying, you might have to do a consulate interview back home. Hopefully that won't be the case and you only pay the fine, but you could have a mark on your immi file now by overstaying. Good luck.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

Sorry big mac, but there is NOT an unspoken 14 day grace period. You have until midnight on the date stamped on your arc to get out of here, or uh-oh. I just saw a guy on here not too long ago saying that an immi officer actually lied and told him he had a 14 day grace period. he overstayed, went to the airport, and some immi lady at the airport gave him a real hard time, calling him a bad foreigner, etc. She said whichever immi officer told him he had a 14 day grace period was wrong. I was just at immi myself about 2 weeks ago, and they told me I have until that date on my arc. So, there is no 14 day unspoken grace period. It's not worth the hassles to even try it.

I also work with someone who said she once overstayed by 3 days, and now, she said she won't be able to do any more visa runs to Japan. She thinks this will be the case for about 10 years. But, she doesn't plan on teaching here that long anyways, so she said no worries.