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defaultusername
Joined: 15 Apr 2009
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 Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 12:24 pm Post subject: Girlfriend coming along |
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Hello,
I am going through the application process right now for a job in Seoul, and I have a few questions in regard to bringing my girlfriend along with me.
She may or may not obtain a work visa. If so, how to obtain a tourist visa? And how to renew it throughout the year?
Is there really any point in notifying EPIK that I will be bringing her along? They do not disapprove of such, but I don't see how mentioning it will help improve my status. I have taken all the issues into account.
These are the questions they ask:
Why will your dependant(s) be accompanying you to Korea?
What will your dependant(s) do during the day while you are teaching?
If your dependant(s) is an adult, what will he/she be doing instead of working at a traditional full-time job?
Does anyone have experience bringing someone along with you who has not or will not obtain work?
Any tangential help with this would be greatly appreciated as well!!! |
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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Your girlfriend is not your dependent. |
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defaultusername
Joined: 15 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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My application phrases "dependent/spouse", so I determined that she, in their technicality, would be.
But nonetheless, how can we get her tourist visa renewed? I have read a few posts but the instructions are not clear.
Also, can you fly in on a one-way ticket as a tourist? |
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GreenlightmeansGO
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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She's not your child or your wife or someone legally in your care, so she is not your dependent.
If she's Canadian, you can get a 6 month visa to stay, no problems. If, however, she is not, then she will get either a month or 2.
You wouldn't HAVE TO tell EPIK, but it would be more polite.
The 'does she require a round-trip ticket' question is always tricky - legally, the answer is yes, but often people come in on one-way tickets. It would be safer to get a return ticket as well.
Upon entry into the country (if she is of one of the nationalities that can teach English in Korea) she will be issued a tourist visa. I'm not sure of all the avenues you could follow for renewing that visa, but usually people leave the country for a day or two and come back, which gets you a new visa. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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Simple questions to answer really:
She is your G/F and not legally your dependent so there is no need to put her on your application. Legally she is just a guest in your house (there is no grounds for common-law wife over here - you're married or you're not).
The visa issue would depend on HER nationality.
IF she is Canadian she gets a 6 month entry stamp.
Take a vacation out of the country-return and the clock starts again (new 6 month stamp).
IF she is UNDER 30 she can apply for a working holiday visa (good for 1 year and allows work with some restrictions).
If she is Australian she can get 90 days on entry or a working holiday visa.
IF she is from one of the other E2 allowed countries she can get 90 days on entry and will have to leave and return to Korea every 90 days.
If she is from elsewhere she should apply for a C3 tourist visa (good for 90 days).
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Harpeau
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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The last time that I tried to return to Korea with a one-way ticket, I wasn't allowed to fly. I was stopped at the airport and told to get a return flight. Basically, come back tomorrow. 
Last edited by Harpeau on Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
Simple questions to answer really:
She is your G/F and not legally your dependent so there is no need to put her on your application. Legally she is just a guest in your house (there is no grounds for common-law wife over here - you're married or you're not). |
I am curious about this issue concerning common law marriage. If the home nation (or state) recognizes a common law marriage as a legal marriage, shouldn't the Korean immigration treat that the same as a regular contractual marriage in the home country?
In some places, common law marriage is really nothing more than living together, but at least in some states in the US, and other countries, it is considered a legal marriage even though there is no contractual agreement or ceremony. If that type of arrangement is considered a "legal" marriage in those few places, could Korean Immigration laws ignore that and still consider them not married? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
Simple questions to answer really:
She is your G/F and not legally your dependent so there is no need to put her on your application. Legally she is just a guest in your house (there is no grounds for common-law wife over here - you're married or you're not). |
1) I am curious about this issue concerning common law marriage. If the home nation (or state) recognizes a common law marriage as a legal marriage, shouldn't the Korean immigration treat that the same as a regular contractual marriage in the home country?
2) In some places, common law marriage is really nothing more than living together, but at least in some states in the US, and other countries, it is considered a legal marriage even though there is no contractual agreement or ceremony. If that type of arrangement is considered a "legal" marriage in those few places, could Korean Immigration laws ignore that and still consider them not married? |
1) No. Why would they be obligated to? There is no treaty or international requirement to do so.
2) Yes. They are under no legal obligation (by treaty or otherwise) to acknowledge such a union. If you don't have a wedding certificate (or equivalent) you are not considered married by international standards.
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GreenlightmeansGO
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
Simple questions to answer really:
She is your G/F and not legally your dependent so there is no need to put her on your application. Legally she is just a guest in your house (there is no grounds for common-law wife over here - you're married or you're not).
The visa issue would depend on HER nationality.
IF she is Canadian she gets a 6 month entry stamp.
Take a vacation out of the country-return and the clock starts again (new 6 month stamp).
IF she is UNDER 30 she can apply for a working holiday visa (good for 1 year and allows work with some restrictions).
If she is Australian she can get 90 days on entry or a working holiday visa.
IF she is from one of the other E2 allowed countries she can get 90 days on entry and will have to leave and return to Korea every 90 days.
If she is from elsewhere she should apply for a C3 tourist visa (good for 90 days).
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I'm pretty sure as a South African I only get 30 days on entry. Did that change? |
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snowysunshine
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: Girlfriend coming along |
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| defaultusername wrote: |
Hello,
I am going through the application process right now for a job in Seoul, and I have a few questions in regard to bringing my girlfriend along with me.
She may or may not obtain a work visa. If so, how to obtain a tourist visa? And how to renew it throughout the year?
Is there really any point in notifying EPIK that I will be bringing her along? They do not disapprove of such, but I don't see how mentioning it will help improve my status. I have taken all the issues into account.
These are the questions they ask:
Why will your dependant(s) be accompanying you to Korea?
What will your dependant(s) do during the day while you are teaching?
If your dependant(s) is an adult, what will he/she be doing instead of working at a traditional full-time job?
Does anyone have experience bringing someone along with you who has not or will not obtain work?
Any tangential help with this would be greatly appreciated as well!!! |
It probably won't matter what you put, if your school is anything like mine. I put everywhere on the application that my husband would be coming with me, but no one paid any attention to it. I even made it very clear to my recruiter a few times that he was coming, and she never passed the information on. When I arrived, they were all very shocked that my husband was with me. He's not working, and is on an F-3 visa, which was very easy to obtain, but that's for a spouse, not sure how it would work with a girlfriend. Before we got the F-3 visa for him, he was permitted on a tourist visa with no questions asked about a return ticket.
As for what is my husband doing? Well, it's his first time in Korea, and really first time out of Canada. He's enjoying the country, is learning how to be a great house hubby, and is just really enjoying not working!  |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| GreenlightmeansGO wrote: |
I'm pretty sure as a South African I only get 30 days on entry. Did that change? |
You are correct and my previous statement was not.
South African citizens only get 30 days on a visa waiver and 90 days on a C3 tourist visa. |
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CapnSamwise
Joined: 11 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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Look at this from her perspective. Would you really want to follow some random schmoe halfway across the world to a country where everyone hates you immediately and you can't read or speak the language and have zero job opportunities because even though you're super qualified and everything schools are only hiring attractive blonde american woman?
Yes, I'm certain that you two are super in love for real real's this time, seriously, but it's just not going to be worth it. |
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ChilgokBlackHole
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Harpeau wrote: |
| The last time that I returned to Korea with a one-way ticket, I wasn't allowed to fly. I was stopped at the airport and told to get a return flight. Basically, come back tomorrow. |
From what airport? In the US? I showed my flight and my passport, containing a work visa. I didn't have to pull a badge to get on the plane. |
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Harpeau
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:50 am Post subject: |
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| From Vancouver International Airport. I had my passport, an E-2 VISA, my passport. The ticketing counter people said that I needed to have an onward ticket out of Korea. They were apologetic, but Korean Immigration apparently told them that it was required. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| ChilgokBlackHole wrote: |
| Harpeau wrote: |
| The last time that I returned to Korea with a one-way ticket, I wasn't allowed to fly. I was stopped at the airport and told to get a return flight. Basically, come back tomorrow. |
From what airport? In the US? I showed my flight and my passport, containing a work visa. I didn't have to pull a badge to get on the plane. |
work visa = onward/return passage not required
no visa entry = onward passage is required (may not always be checked).
Harpeau: I have a scanned letter from the Korean consulate that you can copy. It essentially tells the check-in agents that onward passage is NOT required when the person has either a re-entry permit or a valid visa.
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