Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Interested]

I have permission from my current employers to leave and take up employment with a college in Seoul.

I was told that I didn't need to leave the country to do this as my E2 visa does not expire for over 6 months. I just had to go to immigration and with the necessary paperwork and change sponsors.

Then the secretary at the college called immigration to check the procedure and they told her I'd have to leave the country and apply for a new E2 visa.

Another teacher told me this was BS as he had not had to leave the country when he changed employer on his E2 visa last year.

Who is right? Have the immigration laws recently changed, or was the secretary just being dicked about?

[J.B. Clamence]

I could be wrong, but I always thought that you must leave the country upon getting a new visa for a new school. The only time you don't have to leave the country to get a new visa is if you are staying with the same school, which you are not doing, so I'm pretty sure immigration is right: you need to leave. The fact that your E2 doesn't expire for 6 months is irrelevant because when you change jobs, that visa will be cancelled and you will have to get a new one, because visas can only be used for one company.

As for the teacher you know who didn't have to leave when he changed employers, are you sure he got a new visa, or did he just work for the new school on his old visa (which is illegal)?

[wylde]

there a zillion threads on here about this... search

all the info i can gather says you must leave.. if you search, i posted links to efllaw on this very topic... 99.999999999% certain you must leave

[just because]

Yes, new visa henceforth you must go to another country to be approved.

[sadsac]

Originally it was not necessary to leave the country to change your sponsor, it was a trip to immigration and everything was done in country. Now, as with so many things the rules have changed. A new E2 will be issused and that requires a visa run. It is only a very recent development.

[kangnamdragon]

You must leave the country unless you are changing to another school owned by the same owner. I am sure about this.