Korean Job Discussion Forums

[*wanderlust*]

The Montreal consulate states on it's website that once you fill out the visa application form you also need to send you ACTUAL passport. This seems a little sketchy to me...has anyone sent theirs and have you had any issues/problems?

[Straphanger]

[chris_J2]

Yes, you need to send the original passport to the Korean Immigration or consulate office in your home country, along with your other docs & money order. Send it by registered courier. In Australia, I used Australia Post, which had an online web search on the registered courier number, so I knew exactly where my documents were each time they progressed to a new location & were scanned (eg, Brisbane GPO> Bne Airport > Sydney Airport > Sydney GPO > signed for & collected by Korean Immigration etc). I'd imagine Canada has a similar tracking courier service, using scanned barcode numbers?

[losing_touch]

I don't understand why you would think it is 'sketchy'. Have you ever been issued a visa before? For Korea, it is a full page sticker that is inserted on a page of your passport. Only the consulate or embassy can do this. Of course, they are going to require your passport.

[tonyvu]

When i visited my consulate in houston, i had to leave it with them due to time constraints. A couple days later, the visa was placed in there. Im guessing you feel uncomfortable putting it through the mail...

[cruisemonkey]

I sent them the mini, 'play' passport I got in a box of Crackerjacks.

[teachergirltoo]

Everyone of us have reason to be concerned who handles our passport. I wasn't as concerned until this month when I found out that I was involved in an international fraud case. Someone made a copy of my passport, set up a company in the UK and has been scamming people in the Canada and US out of thousands dollars. Now the police in Korea, Beijing, Canada and the UK are invloved. I have had my passport canceled, and have had to prove that I am not involved. It has been quite the ordeal. In the future I will monitor very closely who handles my passport.

[Steelrails]

Dude I just went through Vinny and Guido and had it all taken care of.

I didn't have to hand over my passport- they just handed me one complete with VISA. All it cost me was 1000 bux...

Handing over your passport to K-Immi? That's sketch man...

[cruisemonkey]

[E_athlete]

[teachergirltoo]

The police at this point don't know who took the information, or at least haven't told me. However, I told them that the only people I have let make repeated copies of it are Korean Immigration and the MOE in Korea.

[PatrickBateman]

I had to waste a whole day and drive to Seattle in order to sit down for a five minute meeting. The whole process seemed really trivial, but whatever.

[Tobias]

[Chambertin]

In responce to teachergirltoo

I suspect there is Much more to this story than we are able to read.
I can�t even count how many hotels, businesses, and agencies have copied my passport. Passports are made to be handled, so the copies are about worthless unless the original is able to be shown in conjunction with it.

Traveling internationally many groups of people handle your passport and that is the norm. As many have stated sending it to the embassy or regional consulate is pretty darn normal. Also quite convenient for many who live great distances from the closest one.

[teachergirltoo]