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cookie monster
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
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 Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:53 pm Post subject: F4 (US born - not in hojuk) |
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Sorry to ask another F4 visa question, but can anyone please clearly lay out for me what documents I need to apply for a F4 visa once I get to Korea? My situation is that I was born in the US and was never added to the family registry in Korea. My mother does not want to formally renounce her Korean citizenship but my father has already passed away and thus he can't renounce his citizenship. The consulates here in the US have been zero help to me and I heard applying for the F4 in Korea is much easier than applying for it in the US.
I heard that I won't be able to request my father's family registry papers because according to Korean records I have no relation to him, but I was thinking my US birth certificate should be enough proof that we are related.
I know my situation is a complex one but does anyone know what exact documents would be needed at least for someone who was born in the US, not added to the family registry in Korea, and plans on applying for the F4 in Korea? Also, is there someone/place I could contact in Korea through email who can communicate in English and possibly help me with my visa situation? Immigration perhaps?
**Please read more information added in my post below**
Last edited by cookie monster on Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Carla
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:02 am Post subject: Re: F4 (US born - not in hojuk) |
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| cookie monster wrote: |
Sorry to ask another F4 visa question, but can anyone please clearly lay out for me what documents I need to apply for a F4 visa once I get to Korea? My situation is that I was born in the US and was never added to the family registry in Korea. My mother does not want to formally renounce her Korean citizenship but my father has already passed away and thus he can't renounce his citizenship. The consulates here in the US have been zero help to me and I heard applying for the F4 in Korea is much easier than applying for it in the US.
I heard that I won't be able to request my father's family registry papers because according to Korean records I have no relation to him, but I was thinking my US birth certificate should be enough proof that we are related.
I know my situation is a complex one but does anyone know what exact documents would be needed at least for someone who was born in the US, not added to the family registry in Korea, and plans on applying for the F4 in Korea? Also, is there someone/place I could contact in Korea through email who can communicate in English and possibly help me with my visa situation? Immigration perhaps? |
Cookie Monster? Oh, I like you already, lol.
According to the consulate, your parents must be American also for you to apply for a F-4. Don't ask me why, that's what they say. So, I don't think you qualify.
I think because if your mom is a Korean citizen, she has to add you to the family registry, that's how they keep track of people. And if they add you to the family registry, you have to serve your military time.
This is what the Korean Consulate says. Copied and pasted. Maybe you can call and talk to someone.
F-4 Visa for Korean-Americans
F4 Visa�s are issued to Korean Americans with the following credentials:
� You must be over 21 years of age.
� Your parents must now be U.S. citizens.
� You may have been born in either Korea of the U.S.
� You must give up your Korean citizenship
This is what you must submit in order to receive the F-4 Visa:
1. Application for losing Korean citizenship- see attachment
2. Valid passport
3. Visa application- please see attachment
4. $45.00 processing fee- cash or money orders ONLY
5. Passport size photo
6. Postage paid self-addressed EXPRESS MAIL envelope for return of your documents & visa |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:09 am Post subject: |
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| You might be forced into the army....Please read up on past cases of this. |
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amoonbot
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:11 am Post subject: |
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| "I think because if your mom is a Korean citizen, she has to add you to the family registry, that's how they keep track of people. And if they add you to the family registry, you have to serve your military time." - That's not necessarily true. Parents only add their children to the family registry in order to continue the family tree. However, parents who move to America generally don't put their children on the registry because their children are U.S. citizens. It's not required for parents to put their descendants on the Korean registry if their children are U.S. born. As for renouncing citizenship, if your mother is a U.S. citizen, she technically already renounced her Korean citizenship. She just has to renounce it formally for the paperwork. It won't affect her travel to Korea at all. Hope this helps. |
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Carla
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:14 am Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
| You might be forced into the army....Please read up on past cases of this. |
Oh, I forgot, they have a new law in 2007(?) I think. If you have Korean citizenship (if you're not registered here, I'm not sure if you do or not) you cannot give up your citizenship until AFTER you serve in the military.
There are cases of people born in other countries (but were registered in the family registry) who came to Korea to visit for the first time ever and were forced into service.
I remember in 2002/3 there was a musician who had dual citizenship, and when it came time to choose and serve in the military, he gave up his Korean citizenship and only took the American. The public backlash was harsh. I don't know if he ever recovered from it, especially since he was always claiming KOREAN PRIDE. Talk about a bad career move. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| amoonbot wrote: |
| As for renouncing citizenship, if your mother is a U.S. citizen, she technically already renounced her Korean citizenship. |
The statement made to the United States government upon naturalization has zero affect on the status of Korean citizenship according to Korean law.
| Quote: |
| She just has to renounce it formally for the paperwork. |
That would be the requirement according to Korean law.
Remember: each country determines the rules for gaining and relinquishing citizenship for that country. US law has no bearing on Korean citizenship. This is the reason that dual citizenship is not always an individual's choice. |
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cookie monster
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:42 am Post subject: |
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Wow those were some quick replies. Thank you for the help and here's some more details:
* I'm female so I don't have to worry about the army.
* Both of my parents received US citizenship.
* I'm not on the Korean family registry because I was born in the US, my parents were both US citizens when I was born, and thus my parents had no reason to add me to the Korean family registry.
Does any US citizen (who wasn't added to their Korean family registry) have any experience applying for the F4 after they got to Korea? I've called every consulate in the US (literally) and half of them had awful English & couldn't communicate properly with me, many gave me different answers, and I decided to give up trying to apply from the US. Does anyone perhaps know how to contact immigration (or whoever deals with visas) in Korea through email? There must be a way foreigners get help regarding visas while they're in Korea.
I thought that not both parents have to formally renounce their citizenship and that just your father renouncing it works. I was hoping to get around my mother having to renounce hers by trying to argue that I should be able to get the F4 without my father having to formally renounce his Korean citizenship since my father passed away and thus he can't do it. I realize I'm kinda pushing it but I'm hoping to figure that part out later.
Most importantly, I just wanted to know what documents other people who have applied for the F4 in Korea, who were US born & not added to their Korean family registry had to submit when applying for their F4. |
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Carla
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:50 am Post subject: |
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http://www.immigration.go.kr/HP/IMM80/index.do
Dude, you're a chick? Well, that makes everything so much easier, lol~!
That's immigrations website, hopefully it helps.
If that doesn't work, let me know and maybe I can find out more. |
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Carla
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:41 am Post subject: |
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| cookie monster wrote: |
| many gave me different answers |
Once you arrive in Korea, you will quickly discover that is the way it is at every place you go, be it government or commercial. |
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cookie monster
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
| cookie monster wrote: |
| many gave me different answers |
Once you arrive in Korea, you will quickly discover that is the way it is at every place you go, be it government or commercial. |
lol. So I've heard.
Hey Carla (or anyone else), so am I not eligible for the F4 if I wasn't added onto the family registry in Korea? Because what I'm reading is that as long as one side of your parents or grandparents were Korean citizens you're eligible and I haven't read anything specifying that you need to have been added to the family registry... or am I blind and missing this point somewhere? |
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Carla
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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| cookie monster wrote: |
Hey Carla (or anyone else), so am I not eligible for the F4 if I wasn't added onto the family registry in Korea? Because what I'm reading is that as long as one side of your parents or grandparents were Korean citizens you're eligible and I haven't read anything specifying that you need to have been added to the family registry... or am I blind and missing this point somewhere? |
I'm not sure. But I see in the documents required it keeps asking for "Certificate of Family Registry."
Your best bet would be to call immigration and ask someone. Wish I could be more helpful. |
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| My guess is: Certificate of Family Registry is of your parent. They want a Korean record that your parent was actually a Korean. Your parent's former Korean passport is not an acceptable proof of your parent's Korean citizenship. Keep asking the diplomats. |
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ahsieee
Joined: 03 Mar 2009
Location: Yongin, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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i was in the same boat as you
you're gonna need your birth certificate
i wasn't on my parents' hojuk
when were u born?
if u were born in the 80s your gonna have to use ur parents info
bring both your parents' just in case
once u get the hojuk, show them the birth certificate. your parents' names will be on it and that will suffice
worked for me! |
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cookie monster
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| ahsieee wrote: |
i was in the same boat as you
you're gonna need your birth certificate
i wasn't on my parents' hojuk
when were u born?
if u were born in the 80s your gonna have to use ur parents info
bring both your parents' just in case
once u get the hojuk, show them the birth certificate. your parents' names will be on it and that will suffice
worked for me! |
So you just used your birth certificate to get your parent's family registry papers? I was born in '86. Could you tell me what papers/documents/applications you specifically submitted to get your F4? And did you apply for your F4 in Korea? |
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