Korean Job Discussion Forums

[moosehead]

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FOR SOMEONE CURRENTLY HOLDING AN E-2 VISA; SOME OF THE INFO MAY BE APPLICABLE TO OTHERS SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK IF YOU ARE NOT AN E-2!**



ok, I went down to the Jongno branch (in Seoul) of immigration today. My current contract finishes in March. I was there to ask 2 questions:

1) The contract is longer than the date on my visa - how do I go about extending my visa so I'm not illegal?

2) Is it true I can transfer my visa to another contract and not have to do a visa run?

Information I was provided was this:

1) She looked at the visa in my passport along with the ENTRY date I returned to Korea after the visa was issued. That's interesting - apparently the visa doesn't become effective until you enter the country - go figure - learn something new everyday. SO - the expiration date of my visa is 1 year from the date I entered the country.

Then she showed me on my ARC card how to find the date - if you look under your photo you'll see two dates. The bottom one is the expiration date of your visa - the same as 1 year after your ENTRY date into the country (after receiving a new E2 visa) which is stamped in your passport.

Since my contract is set to expire AFTER the visa (by about a week) I do need to extend the visa. This entailed a check by immigration, while I was there, of all the documents currently required, i.e., the med check, CBC, academic credentials, etc. Since I had submitted them last year, I did not need to resubmit them again.

HOWEVER, she said IF YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED THESE DOCUMENTS BEFORE YOU WILL HAVE TO DO SO EVEN FOR A ONE (1) DAY EXTENSION.

Wow - that's news to me!! I'm glad I don't have to do that! BUT I will need to bring in a copy of my current contract and some kind of paperwork from my school - she wrote it down in Korean so I can give it to them, and they will give it to me to bring in.

The cost is the same as ever - 30,000 won.

**She also gave me a pamphlet and told me I can book an appointment next time so I don't have to wait - apparently it's on www.hikorea.go.kr
(ok, well I just checked the link and there's a lot of info there - but it doesn't like my mac so I'll have to check it later on my windows machine)

ok, now for (2)

IF I want to transfer my visa - I MUST start the new contract the day after my old contract expires - there can be NO days between them.

So I need a new contract, PLUS a letter of release/agreement (she kept calling it the same thing, I thought at first she meant two different letters) from my old school that it was acceptable for me to change schools after I finish my contract.

She said if I brought those in myself I could transfer my visa - but I'm thinking I'd also need some documentation from the new school with their business info on it - but I'm sure they'd know about that (if they don't I'm not working for them!!)

*******

I did NOT ask about what do I need if I start a contract AFTER this visa has expired because I'm thinking it's pretty obvious - one has to start everything from scratch - but who knows - by then the rules may change anyway.

I think it's kinda stinky about my current school having the right to give their approval for me to start a new contract and transfer my visa - this was supposed to make things easier - but this gives a lot of power to a former employer. Technically, one can still do a visa run but still - I think it pretty much sucks, just based on the fact if I finish my contract I should be able to work wherever.

Ok, hope this helps folks, and hope others will update with their own knowledge.

[roknroll]

[polonius]

I believe that different immigration offices will have different policies. I have worked with this same immigration office, and hired a teacher. He had submitted a Criminal check last year. He didn't complete his contract, nor did he complete 9 months of the contract. We could not transfer his visa. We sent him on a run to Japan. We received his visa issuance number without having to submit a second criminal check.

[moosehead]

[Bibbitybop]

In August, immigration said a one week gap between my contracts was ok.

Good to see there are no set standards. Wait a day and talk to a different officer, you'll probably get a different story.

[miiooan]

I'm about to change companies on an E-2 as well.
Just wanted to say thanks for writing this up.

-- M

[TheUrbanMyth]

[moosehead]