Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Letsbehonestaboutit]

Have any Canadians renewed their contracts with their respective academies in September 2010 under the new Korean Immigration Notice: "Conversation teacher (E-2) related system improvement notice."If so, please share your experience with us hapless, hoop-jumping lemmings.

In my case, after 2-years at my academy (but 7-consecutive years of teaching in Korea), I wanted to renew for another year. My old contract ends September 21 and the new one was due to start September 22 (although I have booked a flight to Canada for a 1-week period, overlapping and intervening between contracts, using two days owed-vacation and the Chuseok period).

Long story short, on visiting Immigration they would NOT allow me a 1-year renewal but instead gave me a 1-month visa extension (allowing me to make my Canada trip and return) pending receipt of:

1) Degree Verification (now in the hands of KCUE for, I'm told, for a period of 5 weeks). Being curious, I called my university records department who confirmed that they would likely respond to a fax from KCUE if it included a copy of my orginal degree accompanied by my signature. The response would be to stamp the received faxed copy of my degree certificate and re-fax it to KCUE confirming that my degree certificate originated from my university.

2) A Canadian Police Check which is "sufficient" for Immigration Office requirements, and is "from your own country's government which covers the whole country's information.

A good friend in Canada has informed me that I effectively have two choices if I want to get a Canadian Police Check during my short visit:

a) Visit a local RCMP detachment (Bowmanville) and get a Criminal Police Check letter based on a scan against the national database (no fingerprints required). Turn around time 2-days.

b) Use an authorised fingerprinting agency in Scarborough which will take fingerprints and scan them electronically against the national database. This will take anything betweeen 48-72 hours.

The big question for me is: Will either, none or both of these documents satisfy the requirement in Immigration's document that, "Foreigner must hand in the sufficient document the immigration office requires." If neither do, then my extended E2 visa will likely expire and I'll be headed out of Korea.

Furthermore, although the Immigration notice makes no mention of the requirement to have the Police Check letter notarized and stamped by the Korean Consulate in Toronto (or should it be stamped by the Canadian government?) I guess I'll have to do this, too.

If any Canadian has been there, done it and is still wearing or thrown away the T-shirt, please advise the exact Canadian Police Check they did and the specific document that they submitted to be accepted by Korean Immigration. Many thanks.

[JBomb]

From what I was told by the immi office is that they do not want anymore third party police checks even though those are authorized and carried out by through and in conjunction with the RCMP. Be prepared to have to do the one at the police office that requires finger printing. Otherwise I am guessing your local police department is going to be your best bet. I had already done this when I applied two years ago, so they told me come Feb when I renew again I will not have to do this. That bad boy takes 4 months. I will just have to do the degree thing.

[jonpurdy]

Does this apply to public school teachers who are staying at the same school and renewing their contract?

Last year I just went to immi and got a new ARC card mailed to me. Easy as pie. Same this year?

[TheUrbanMyth]

[JBomb]

if you have done the big federal one already and have not spent more than 3 months outside of Korea you are OK is what I was told.

[jonpurdy]